Our Cheese
Description of Landaff Cheese
Made from our own high quality cow's milk, Landaff Cheese is a raw cow's milk cheese and is a mild, semi-firm cheese with a delicious combination of flavors, tangy with a clean finish. The open and buttery texture comes with a natural, cave-aged rind. It melts beautifully for cooking, and makes a wonderful addition to any cheese plate.
Description of Kinsman Ridge Cheese
Made from our own high quality cow's milk, Kinsman Ridge Cheese is a raw milk cheese; semi-soft washed rind, inspired by St. Nectaire. Flavors are rich, savory and earthy.
Remove our cheeses from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to eat it.
This will allow the full flavors to be enjoyed. Keep your cheese surfaces
protected so they won't dry out. If mold does develop, just trim it off. The
natural cave-aged rind is safe to eat.
Origin of Our Cheese
Landaff Cheese
Landaff, NH was named after the Bishop of Llandaff, Wales, chaplain to England's
King George III. We were fascinated by the historical link and wanted to make a cheese traditional to that area of Wales. We named our cheese "Landaff Cheese", and have based it on a recipe Doug learned from Chris Duckett and Jemima Cordle. Chris Duckett is a 3rd generation cheese maker from Somerset England who has kept the tradition of Welsh farmstead cheese alive.
History of Welsh Cheese
Prior to the 183o's the main cheese produced in Wales was a cheddar that required a lengthy aging period. By the 1830’s farmers were developing farmstead cheese varieties that required shorter maturation times as a way to use up their surplus milk. Though the cheeses were mostly developed for their personal use, they quickly became popular and the farmers began selling varieties at market as an additional source of income.
The farmstead cheese was particularly popular with Welsh miners who would take it into the coal mines for their lunch. The cheese rind made it easy to eat when they were unable to wash their hands, and the salt and nutrient content replenished their body’s energy levels for the rest of the day. In addition they believed that the cheese was able to absorb the toxins their bodies were exposed to within the mine.
By the early 1900’s the cost to the Welsh farmers to make their cheese was too great, and they became primarily milk exporters. Farms in the Somerset, England area took over the market during World War II. Today the farmstead cheese industry in Wales is rapidly regaining strength and popularity around the world.
Affinage
The aging process or affinage is the ripening period that allows the enzymes in cheese to break down the compounds that provide the flavor and characteristics of the cheese. To create the proper environment, you must have the correct temperature, humidity, and airflow. The early cheeses were aged in caves providing the right environment for ripening. Our cheese is aged at The Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, VT. The Kehler families have developed their new underground cellars based on a French model for the purpose of providing affinage, or ageing experience, as well as distribution opportunities for cheesemakers, so that they may access the burgeoning market for artisan cheese nationwide. The Cellars will provide the affinage for Landaff Cheese. Great cheese can never become truly great cheese without the nurturing required to reach it’s full potential.
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Farmstead Cheese
Farmstead cheese is handmade using milk from our farm. The cheese is made using fresh milk, the same day it is produced. Each handmade batch of farmstead cheese is completely unique and unrepeatable. The composition and taste associated with our cheese is based on the milk we use, which can vary depending on the cows diet, the season, and the weather. Our cows eat a diet based largely on corn and grasses grown in our fields, the flavors of which change throughout the year causing the taste that comes through to be different in each batch. A farmstead cheese is unique to the farm, the cheese makers, and the cows that produce the milk, making each batch a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.
