VH cheese

CONNAGE HIGHLAND DAIRY organic artisan cheeses

Gold at the World Cheese Awards 2007 for Clava and Bronze for Crowdie. Winners of the 2006 New Business and New Product categories at the Highland & Islands Food & Drink Awards. A traditional family-owned, fully organic business…

Connage Highland Dairy is on the Clark family farm at Milton of Connage, Ardersier, Inverness. Along the shores of the Moray Firth the Clark family have an organic dairy herd of 130 cows, mostly Holstein Friesian with Jersey crosses and Norwegian Reds. The family also have breeding ewes, grow arable and vegetable crops. The farm was started by Hamish Clark and is now farmed by Callum, Cameron, Jill and Eileen. They use traditional techniques to produce a range of organic, handcrafted, vegetarian cheeses.

‘All our cheeses are made from the milk of our own cows which graze the luscious clover pastures around the dairy and along the Moray shore. Our Connage cows give us their lovely creamy milk twice a day which we collect fresh to make our flavoursome cheeses. We can assure you of the highest standard of animal health, welfare and care for our cows; continuing our attention to detail into our finished cheeses’ .

Connage DUNLOP is a traditional Scottish hard cheese that develops a lovely depth of flavour as it matures for 5-7 months giving a rounded nutty, warm and creamy taste that lingers on the palate. In the making of Dunlop, the Clarks use their milk unpasteurised and rely on traditional methods. The cheeses are matured in muslin and continue to receive loving care and attention over the following months, until they develop their own distinctive bouquet of flavours. Dunlop is golden and a deliciously creamy cheese. Serve it with rich flavours such as robust wines, apples, plums and chutneys.

Connage CROMAL is a light crumbly cheese with a moist open texture and a delightfully fresh lemony flavour with a lingering creamy finish, which can vary subtly according to the seasons. For Cromal, the Clarks pasteurise the Connage milk and after the cheese making process is completed, the cheeses are matured for a short time in special stores. Cromal is delightful and well complements pears, apples, avocados or mixed nuts. It is superb in salads, for melting on mushrooms, on toast or cooked with any vegetable in tarts and quiches.

Connage CLAVA Gold at World Cheese Awards 2007, Silver at Royal Highland Show 2006. This smooth delicately flavoured brie is delicious and made with no added cream. As it ripens the chalky centre becomes silky and it is at its best when the texture inside has become soft and luscious. To achieve excellent results, the Clarks pasteurise their milk and hand ladle the very delicate curd into moulds and mature carefully in a temperature controlled store before being individually hand wrapped. Clava has a creamy texture on the palate and is ready to be enjoyed with a light Pinot. It marries well with berry preserves on a selection of biscuits. You could stud the top of a whole cheese with a little fresh thyme and cooked soft garlic, heat in the oven for a few minutes to melt, giving a quick cheese “fondue” enjoyed with fresh crusty bread.

Connage CROWDIE Bronze at World Cheese Awards 2007, Bronze at Royal Highland Show 2006. Crowdie is a fresh curd cheese deliciously soft and creamy with a clean fresh flavour and with no cream added. Connage milk is pasteurised and the curds are hung in the traditional method to drain off the whey then the crowdie is lightly salted, stirred and potted for use. Crowdie is soft and easily spread, it stays on your biscuit and melts in your mouth. To be enjoyed with biscuits or with smoked salmon, lime zest and black pepper, although this cheese is delicious on its own. All ages love it with raspberry jam on toast and it is excellent for making cheesecakes, mixing well with sugar or fresh summer berries for a delicious instant low fat dessert.

Coming soon to VH: Connage SMOKED DUNLOP

VH: GOOD ORGANIC CHEESES WITHOUT MASSIVE MARKUPS

LYE CROSS ORGANIC CHEESES are handmade from pasteurised milk by specialist cheese makers using non-GM rennet. They are certified organic by the Soil Association and suitable for vegetarians.

Since 1952 three generations of the Alvis family have been dedicated to making the highest quality cheddar cheese on the family farm situated at the foot of the Mendip Hills, only a few miles from the village of Cheddar. Alvis Bros Ltd is the leading UK organic cheese producer and one of the West Country’s finest farmhouse cheddar cheesemakers. Offering a full range of organic cheddar and territorial cheeses under the prestigious Lye Cross Farm Organic brand, together with West Country Farmhouse Cheddar and Traditional Farmhouse cheeses under the Lye Cross brand. The family business has grown steadily; the cheese making is supported by more than 1,000 milking cows on three dairy farms, supplying over 7 million litres of milk a year to the cheese dairy. This milk from the family’s own farms, with milk from other farms, is used to produce annually over 2,500 tonnes of organic cheese and nearly 1,000 tonnes of conventional cheddar cheese in the dairy. Traditional methods and skills such as cheddaring -the age-old process of turning and stacking the curd by hand- are used with modern technology to produce cheese under strictly controlled hygienic conditions. Strict quality assurance monitors the cheese making from milk production on the farms to dispatch of the finished product. The cheese is matured carefully for between three and eighteen months. The company remains true to its original concept of integration: Grass - Cows - Milk - Cheese - Whey - Pigs - Manure – Grass. Animal welfare and the total care for the environment are priorities in all farm practices at Alvis Bros Ltd. No pesticides or herbicides at all are allowed or used on the organic farmland.

Farmhouse Double Gloucester
The favourite Lye Cross cheese at VH, it is smooth and creamy textured, pale orange in colour with a mellow flavour. It is carefully matured under controlled conditions for three or four months.

Caerphilly
A creamy open textured cheese with a mild and delicate yet slightly acidic flavour. Typical maturity is two to three months.

Farmhouse Mature Cheddar
Lye Cross Farm's award winning Mature Cheddar cheese is carefully matured for ten to fourteen months under controlled conditions, to produce a full flavoured farmhouse cheese with a firm and silky texture.

Farmhouse Red Leicester
A firm bodied cheese with a close flaky texture, which is deep orange in colour with a sweet and delicate flavour. It is matured under carefully controlled conditions for three to four months.

MORE GOOD ORGANIC CHEESES

BLACK EYED SUSAN -beautifully soft & creamy organic peppered brie made in Somerset with cows’ milk.

FUTURA DANISH BLUE –soft & extra creamy organic blue made in Jutland with cows' milk.

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