06-10-2010, 07:20 PM
Wales is celebrating cheese in style on 25 – 26 September with the Great British Cheese Festival at Cardiff Castle. Why not celebrate Welsh cheese at home with some delicious varieties such as Hafod Cheddar, Caws Cenarth Perl Lâs or Gorwydd Caerphilly? The Wales the True Taste Award-winners have all the cheeses you need to create a first-class cheeseboard!
Winning two gold Wales the True Taste Awards in 2009/2010 (in the small dairy and organic categories), Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar produces a deliciously smooth, traditional hard cheddar. Owned by Sam and Rachel Holden, Hafod farm is Wales’s longest certified organic dairy farm. The cheese is made from unpasteurised milk from Hafod's 65 Ayrshire cows and it has a close-knit texture and a rich golden yellow colour. Its flavours are predominantly buttery, rich and nutty with a slight tang on the finish. Their cheese is available to buy online at hafodcheese.co.uk (RRP: £7.50 for 350g) and various specialist cheese shops including Neal’s
Yard Dairy, London.
Nestled at the foot of the Black Mountains, in the East of the Brecon Beacons National Park, lies Caws Mynydd Du (meaning ‘Black Mountains Cheese’). Awarded a bronze Wales the True Taste Award in 2009 in the small dairy category for its Dragon’s Back Cheese, Caws Mynydd Du produces sheep cheeses made from their Poll Dorset and Poll Dorset X sheep which are fed purely on grass and crops grown and harvested on the farm. The Dragon’s Back Cheese is a handmade, pasteurised, semi-hard cheese. It has complex flavours which are delicate, yet rounded with a slight hint of citrus. Available nationally through cawsmynydddu.com (RRP: £17.50 per kg + P & P) at various independent shops nationwide including Mootown in London.
South Caernarfon Creameries is Wales's leading farmer-owned dairy co-operative which won a gold Wales the True Taste Award in 2006 (in the large manufacturer of the year category) for its Old Shire Special Reserve cheddar. This is a smooth textured cheese with a tangy and balanced, full-bodied flavour. Only the best cheese is selected for their Special Reserve grade and the maturing process takes up to 18 months. Available to buy at sccwales.co.uk (£2.00 for 200g), Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons.
Trethowan’s Dairy won silver in the small dairy category of the 2009 Wales the True Taste Awards with its Gorwydd Caerphilly. Made using a traditional recipe with unpasteurised milk, the ingredients combined with working the curd by hand, keep the cheese true to the origins of traditional Caerphilly. The cheese is matured on the farm for two months and gives a fresh lemony taste with a creamy texture to the outer and a firmer but moist inner. Available to buy at Trethowan’s Dairy - Tel: 0117 902 0332 (RRP: £20 per kg) and at markets across the UK including St Nicholas Market, Bristol and London Borough Market; see gorwydd.com for a full list.
Winning several Wales the True Taste Awards in 2003 and 2006 for its Perl Lâs, Caws Cenarth is a highly regarded cheese producer. Thelma Adams, owner of Caws Cenarth, was also awarded the Wales the True Taste Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for her dedication to the Welsh dairy industry. The Perl Lâs cheese was created as a result of a happy accident. A selection of mature Caerffili cheeses had become naturally blue and so was born the Caws Cenarth Perl Lâs was born. The taste is a round creaminess with lingering blue overtones. It is unlike any other blue, strong in taste yet delicate enough to satisfy the choosiest of cheese lovers. Available to buy at cawscenarth.co.uk (RRP: £6.95 for 450g).
All the above Welsh producers have won accolades at the Wales The True Taste Food & Drink Awards, which were launched in 2002. They are managed by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of their commitment to developing the food and drink sector and to building awareness of the Welsh food brand 'Wales the True Taste'. Year-on-year the True Taste Awards grow in strength and popularity and are regarded as the 'Oscars' of the Welsh food industry.
Winning two gold Wales the True Taste Awards in 2009/2010 (in the small dairy and organic categories), Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar produces a deliciously smooth, traditional hard cheddar. Owned by Sam and Rachel Holden, Hafod farm is Wales’s longest certified organic dairy farm. The cheese is made from unpasteurised milk from Hafod's 65 Ayrshire cows and it has a close-knit texture and a rich golden yellow colour. Its flavours are predominantly buttery, rich and nutty with a slight tang on the finish. Their cheese is available to buy online at hafodcheese.co.uk (RRP: £7.50 for 350g) and various specialist cheese shops including Neal’s
Yard Dairy, London.
Nestled at the foot of the Black Mountains, in the East of the Brecon Beacons National Park, lies Caws Mynydd Du (meaning ‘Black Mountains Cheese’). Awarded a bronze Wales the True Taste Award in 2009 in the small dairy category for its Dragon’s Back Cheese, Caws Mynydd Du produces sheep cheeses made from their Poll Dorset and Poll Dorset X sheep which are fed purely on grass and crops grown and harvested on the farm. The Dragon’s Back Cheese is a handmade, pasteurised, semi-hard cheese. It has complex flavours which are delicate, yet rounded with a slight hint of citrus. Available nationally through cawsmynydddu.com (RRP: £17.50 per kg + P & P) at various independent shops nationwide including Mootown in London.
South Caernarfon Creameries is Wales's leading farmer-owned dairy co-operative which won a gold Wales the True Taste Award in 2006 (in the large manufacturer of the year category) for its Old Shire Special Reserve cheddar. This is a smooth textured cheese with a tangy and balanced, full-bodied flavour. Only the best cheese is selected for their Special Reserve grade and the maturing process takes up to 18 months. Available to buy at sccwales.co.uk (£2.00 for 200g), Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons.
Trethowan’s Dairy won silver in the small dairy category of the 2009 Wales the True Taste Awards with its Gorwydd Caerphilly. Made using a traditional recipe with unpasteurised milk, the ingredients combined with working the curd by hand, keep the cheese true to the origins of traditional Caerphilly. The cheese is matured on the farm for two months and gives a fresh lemony taste with a creamy texture to the outer and a firmer but moist inner. Available to buy at Trethowan’s Dairy - Tel: 0117 902 0332 (RRP: £20 per kg) and at markets across the UK including St Nicholas Market, Bristol and London Borough Market; see gorwydd.com for a full list.
Winning several Wales the True Taste Awards in 2003 and 2006 for its Perl Lâs, Caws Cenarth is a highly regarded cheese producer. Thelma Adams, owner of Caws Cenarth, was also awarded the Wales the True Taste Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for her dedication to the Welsh dairy industry. The Perl Lâs cheese was created as a result of a happy accident. A selection of mature Caerffili cheeses had become naturally blue and so was born the Caws Cenarth Perl Lâs was born. The taste is a round creaminess with lingering blue overtones. It is unlike any other blue, strong in taste yet delicate enough to satisfy the choosiest of cheese lovers. Available to buy at cawscenarth.co.uk (RRP: £6.95 for 450g).
All the above Welsh producers have won accolades at the Wales The True Taste Food & Drink Awards, which were launched in 2002. They are managed by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of their commitment to developing the food and drink sector and to building awareness of the Welsh food brand 'Wales the True Taste'. Year-on-year the True Taste Awards grow in strength and popularity and are regarded as the 'Oscars' of the Welsh food industry.