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Alderwood is a semi-hard washed rind unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese. It is based on a Bel Pase recipe, which would normally produce a mild almost sweet cheese, but Alderwood is ripened by washing the rind in brine, which encourages the ripening bacteria to create the coloured rind and enhance the flavour of the cheese. The cheese is made using a conventional rennet clot using traditional rennet, which adds to the flavour spectrum within the ripe cheese. The cheese is formed in moulds on day one, brined on day two and has the first washing on day three. The cheeses are then transferred to a ripening room and kept at a low temperature and with high humidity to assist in rind development. During ripening it develops a natural mottled orange/brown coloured rind, derived from the ripening mould and the natural flora of the area. The ripening period is about twelve weeks from making. Although the cheese can be eaten young, the ripening process changes the cheese from the mild sweet characteristic to a creamy texture with a taste that is almost fruity – indeed a common question enquires as to whether the cheese has been washed in cider or apple juice. The cheese can be eaten with or without the rind according to taste. Alderwoods are mostly produced as cutting cheese at about 1.8 kg but smaller individual cheeses are also produced weighing about 350 gms. Alderwood is a spectacular part of the Manor Farm Estate in Ashmore. It has extensive views over The Chase and the beautiful countryside, even as far as the Isle of Wight. |
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Copyright © 2006
Cranborne Chase Cheese
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