What was in your box?
The local box
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Tasting notes and descriptions of your cheese
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Four cheeses from within 50 miles of The Box Of Cheese HQ on the edge of the New Forest.
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Old Winchester is made by Mike Smales and his team at Lyburn Farm on the northern edge of the New Forest, and using the milk from their own herd of 170 pedigree Holstein-Friesian cows. They have been making cheese on the farm in Landford for over 20 years, having started as a way to diversify and get more value from their milk. This award-winning cheese is made in the style of a gouda and aged for around 18 months, the most mature of the 6 cheeses that they produce. Creamy, nutty and a caramelised sweetness all in one, with a biting tingle on the long finish and a surprisingly moist texture for a cheese of this age; great to cook with as a substitute for Italian hard cheeses, but equally, fabulous on a cheese board. (Vegetarian, Pasteurised, Cows’ milk, (contains egg))
Dazel Ash, a goats cheese made by Chris and Clare Moody at Rosary Goats Cheese, literally straddling the Hampshire/Wiltshire border. The cheese has an edible ash coating and as it matures the crinkly rind takes on a lustrous satiny hue of black and white. It lends itself perfectly to any cheeseboard. Its name is derived from an idyllic little copse "Dazel Wood" situated just behind their site in the New Forest. (Vegetarian, Pasteurised, Goats milk)
Only one farm in the country still makes Dorset Blue Vinny: Woodbridge Farm near Sturminster Newton. Legend suggests that the cheese was originally blued by dunking old boots and mouldy harness in the milk and was taken to London for sale by Dorset farmers because Londoners “were the only ones daft enough to buy it”! It is made by Mike Davies and his family where they use the skimmed milk from their 250 Friesian cows. It is matured for up to 5 months and has a rich and deep long lasting taste that can be slightly salty depending on the maturity of the cheese. (Vegetarian, Pasteurised, Cows milk)
Maida Vale is a semi-soft washed-rind cheese made by Anne and Andy Wigmore at Village Maid near Reading in Berkshire. It is their newest creation, made using unpasteurised Guernsey cow’s milk with a vegetarian rennet. As the cheese matures, they wash the rind of the cheese with Soundwave, a local IPA from Siren Craft Brewery. This gives a tangy, punchy flavour and aroma with a buttery texture. In a nutshell, Maida Vale is pungent, full of earthy, hoppy character but soft and creamy with a satisfying salty edge. A fully-fledged British cheese at its finest. Obviously, serve with a west coast IPA! And another thing, it's not named after the London suburb but is simply a play on words – it is, after all, made with ale! (Vegetarian, Unpasteurised, Cows’ milk, IPA (trace) (water, malted barley, hops, wheat))
You will get a minimum of 650g of cheese in this box, all of which are suitable for vegetarians.
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The cheese needs to be stored in an air-tight box at the bottom of your fridge (this stops your cheese from drying out and becoming tainted by other fridge smells!). Hard cheeses will last for up to 2 weeks, soft cheeses will last for a week. For more information please see our FAQ's page.