Crabtree, Federia and ‘the cheese with no name’ are all produced from the milk of Holstein Friesian cows which graze on the luscious Cheshire grass on Anne’s farm in Malpas, Cheshire. http://larktonhallcheese.co.uk/#welcome
How did this cheese come about?
Anne lived in Italy for many years, (17 actually) it was there where she met her Husband, Peter, he originally came from Nantwich in Cheshire but now farms in Malpas.
On returning home from Italy, Anne attended a cheese making course; having lived in Italy for so long, she wanted to convert the newly acquired cheese making skill into making an alpine style cheese similar to that of an Italian cheese, which she had been accustomed to.
Its not what you know, its who you know
Anne got in touch with her friend from Italy, (an Italian cheese maker), who came over to the farm and taught her his Italian cheese making skills.
About the cheese
Crabtree is a relatively young, un-pressed cheese.
It’s left to mature for 30-35 days and has a very soft, squidgy texture and a deliciously creamy, well-rounded flavour.
This flavoursome cheese is also available with Oregano, Chilli, Chive, Cumin and Sage.
Federia is a firm to hard cheese that’s pressed and left to mature for 5-6 months.
It’s a medium strength cheese with a smooth, nutty flavour with a fruity aroma.
‘cheese with no name’ is a cheese made with cow’s milk plus 10% goat’s milk.
It is a hard cheese that’s pressed then left to mature for at least 12 months. This gives it a strong flavour with a slight kick.
The process
All of the cheeses are produced with the farm’s unpasteurised cow’s milk in the traditional copper vats, similar to the way they produce parmesan and alpine cheese to this day in Italy.
Each individual cheese is dipped in brine and is left to mature on wooden boards to form its own natural rind, which is a characteristic of this handmade cheese.
You will find Anne and her cheese!! at many farmers markets.. http://larktonhallcheese.co.uk/#cheeses
We also stock Anne’s cheese here at the Good cheese Company…