Every month, Paxton & Whitefield scour the country for the finest cheeses around and choose their favourite to have the coveted title of Cheese of the Month. This month Jasmine Reeves, supervisor at Paxton & Whitfield’s Stratford-upon-Avon shop, has selected the award-winning Rollright, from young British cheesemaker David Jowett, for the title.
Rollright is relatively new cheese to the market, having first being produced in March 2015. Made in the King Stone Dairy in Little Rollright (hence the name), the herd that this cheese’s milk comes from has only around 120 cows, with 70% of these being part Brown Swiss – all helping to give this cheese its unique characteristics and flavours.
The process of making this cheese is quite a simple one – once the curds have been made, the cheese makers quickly place them in moulds to stop the acidity in the curd growing. The cheese is then stacked and allowed to drain, then taken to the ripening room to be allowed to mature for four to five weeks, being turned weekly during this process.
We gave Rollright a go, paired with malted crackers also from Paxton & Whitefield, and the general consensus was that it was a great cheese. Soft and creamy, with quite a strong flavour that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from such a soft cheese. Although successfully filling the room with the smell of warming cheese, it didn’t quite have the pungent’punch-you-in-the-nose’ aroma that some other washed-rind cheeses have that can put some people off.
All in all, a delicious cheese that is great as a stand-alone snack, on crackers, or as a fantastic addition to any cheeseboard.