Intensely Buttery Barkham Blue Cheese Barkham Blue cheese is a relatively mellow blue, with a peppery tang to the blue and rind. Barkham Blue has a wonderful creaminess due to its rich milk. When young it is firm and dense with wonderful grassy notes.
As it matures it softens and the buttery quality of the milk is more evident. The cheese melts in the mouth and never leaves the harsh metallic taste sometimes associated with blue cheeses. A unique, artisan blue which has a distinctive appearance.
The whole mould ripened cheese is just under 1kg in weight, ammonite shaped and covered in an attractive, natural, rustic rind. The deep yellow moist interior is spread with dark bluey green veins. By and large, in France they work very much within the AOC naming system – as such there will be many makers of Comte, Roquefort, Camembert de Normandie etc etc etc, and our job as mongers is to seek out the very best maker of these iconic cheeses.
In the UK, with a couple of notable exceptions like Cheddar or Stilton, cheeses tend to be made by a single farm, dairy or family. Barkham Blue has been produced by the Rose family in Berkshire for over 20 years, winning many awards for this unique ammonite shaped blue cheese. Recently, they took the decision that it was time for them to ‘hang up their aprons’ and explore new adventures.
Cheesemaking must be in the blood for this family, as Sandy Rose’s cousin is none other that Anne Wigmore of Village Maid Cheese. Barkham Blue is produced with milk from Channel Island cows. Sandy’s father had farmed this breed and the origin of the recipe was based on her desire to make a cheese specifically from this incredibly rich and golden milk – no mean feat for a blue cheese, where fatty rich milk can cause a few hurdles in cheese make.
It’s a milk that the Wigmore family also use in their Waterloo cheese and are very comfortable working with. It had the most delicate, thin rind and a delicious texture like cold butter. Awards 2022 Great Taste Award Winner 2019 World Cheese Awards: Gold 2018 British Cheese Awards: Gold 2017 World Cheese Awards: Gold
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