Bath Soft Cheese Company
Kelston Park, Bath, UK
My brother-in-law, Chris, works at this dairy farm and cheese-making company and was kind enough to give us a tour of the facilities.
It is a local family run business since 1914 which is great to see, set on 240 acres of organic land - plenty of room for the cows to have a good life!
Approximately 160 Holstein Friesian cows make a million litres of milk a year! Most of which is used to produce the fine artisan cheeses on offer with the remaining being sold off for organic cheddar and ice cream production.
All their cheese is hand made using old recipes and traditional methods
Their most famous cheese is the Wyfe of Bath -
As described on their website....
"Succulent, nutty and creamy. This semi-hard cheese is redolent of buttercups and summer meadows. It is made by placing the curd in cloth lined baskets, it retains the basket shape and has a soft light caramel colour. It is made with vegetarian rennet.
Wyfe of Bath takes its name from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and, like the tale, when you cut into a Wyfe of Bath you will get a taste old England."
Absolutely delicious!
On the day we visited they were in the process of making the Bath Soft Cheese, a Brie style full fat, rich and creamy cheese. Seen in the picture below being set into the individual squares ready for maturing in the temperature controlled rooms.
The Bath Blue Cheese
A classic blue cheese - mild and creamy ripened for eight to ten weeks In 2014 it was awarded Supreme Champion at the World Cheese Awards.
Even those who don't normally like blues may enjoy this one!
For more information on the cheese production and to buy some for yourself head over to their website and order direct from them or check out the retail shops where you can buy locally.
http://parkfarm.co.uk/retailers/