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 Gerry
Cottle, once the ringmaster and owner of Britain's
leading circus and now owner of historic Wookey
Hole Caves near Wells in Somerset, is reviving
one of the site's oldest traditions.
He's
bringing cheese back to Wookey Hole, to mature
in the cave's ideal conditions. Four hundred years
ago there was no refrigeration and the caves were
the ideal place to mature cheeses. The temperature
is a constant 11°C all year round, and the
high humidity is also ideal to stop the cheese
drying out during its maturation storage.
Cheddar
Cheese has been made by the same methods ever
since, and Ford Farm, down on the Ashley Chase
Estate in Dorset is one of the few farms where
authentic handmade cheese is still produced.
Mr
Cottle enthuses:
"I
am absolutely thrilled that one of Britain's leading
cheesemakers has chosen Wookey Hole Caves to mature
their cheeses in. It beautifully complements everything
else we're doing here to create historically accurate
family entertainment. I'm assured the cheeses
won't give off any unpleasant pongs, and will
be delicious when they're fully mature."
Dorset
is one of only four counties where West Country
Farmhouse Cheddar can officially be made and gain
eligibility to carry the PDO (Protected Designation
of Origin).logo
A spokesman
for Ford Farm explained
"Tests
have been going on in various caves for two years,
and Wookey Hole has proved perfect, giving the
flavour and the texture we desire. At present
the caves can hold up to ten tons at a time. placed
in a cavern running close to the public walkway,
behind a large barred cellar door, allowing the
public to see the cheese as it ages."
The
cheese is to be launched in Sainsbury's during
August 2006 and will be on sale at Wookey Hole
Caves before Christmas 2006.
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Cave
Aged Cheddar: The facts
"Cave
Aged West Country Farmhouse Cheddar" from
the Ashley Chase Estate near Abbotsbury in Dorset.
1.
Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese has been made in the
West Country since the 16th Century. Most of the
cheese in the cave is approximately a year old.
2.
Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese was stored in the caves
on the Mendips 400 years ago as it was the ideal
temperature at 11°C and also the ideal humidity
at around 100 %. The high humidity stops the cheese
losing too much weight during ageing. This is
the first time that Cheddar has been stored like
this in its original form since then.
3.
The cheese is wrapped in a cloth and coated
in lard to protect it. This is how it was done
in those early days when they didn't have vacuum
packing machines to seal the cheese in plastic
bags.
4.
The cheese takes some of its flavour from
the production process and some from the surroundings
it's stored in. If you put an onion in the fridge
and put some cheese next to it, after one day
the cheese will pick up the flavour of the onion.
The same happens when you store cheese in the
cave - the cheese picks up a distinct flavour
from the cave………….. You will
have to buy some to find out for yourself and
see what you think!
5.
Traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddar
is only made in small amounts these days - probably
only 1500 tonnes per year. This sounds a lot,
but in comparison to the Cheddar business in the
UK this is a very small percentage. There are
only 5-6 farms left in the UK making it and Ford
Farm is the only one at present storing it in
the Caves.
6.
PDO - This stands for Protected Designation of
Origin, and only applies to cheese made by farms
that use their own milk, make the cheese in the
traditional way and are based in Somerset, Dorset,
Devon, or Cornwall. You can see that it is PDO
Cheddar by the yellow and blue sign displayed
on the Farmhouse Cheddar packs.
7.Bats,
rats and mice are not in this part of the cave.
We have health and environmental strategies in
place to prevent any problems as in any food premises.
8.
The mould you see on the cheese is on the
cloth that protects it. Before the cheese is packed
the cloth is removed and the mould stays with
the cloth revealing the cheese you see and buy
in the supermarket.
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