A BRIEF HISTORY OF CRANBORNE CHASE CHEESE

Cranborne Chase Cheese is part of the Manor Farm situated in the hilltop village of Ashmore, which is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has been owned by the same family since the 18th Century.  Our cheeses are hand made and named after local landmarks in and around Ashmore. They are also made with the unpasteurised milk from a single herd of cows.
The Cheese is made in formerly redundant farm buildings owned by the Manor Farm that have been converted to the required standards, approved by the Environmental Health authority and provide ample accommodation for the present and foreseeable future.
Cheese-making started experimentally in 2002 but it was not until November 2004 that the operation was turned into a long term commercial venture.
Cranborne Chase Cheese now consists of Peter Kininmonth, Managing Director, Cheesemakers Richard Biddlecombe and Alison French and Martin Del-Bo as Sales and Marketing Manager.

OUR CHEESES

ALDERWOOD is a semi-hard washed rind unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese. It is based on a Bel Paese 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 produced as cutting cheese at about 1.8 kg but smaller individual cheeses are also made weighing about 350 grams. We are currently experimenting with making halves of the small cheese and also washing them in various liquids.
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.

WIN GREEN is a soft mould ripened unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese. It is made using method and recipe similar to farmhouse Camembert cheeses, but has a flavour that is distinctly different to Camemberts. The cheese is made with a conventional rennet clot using vegetarian rennet – again helping to differentiate it from the traditional Camemberts. The cheese is formed in moulds in about three hours, spending about twenty hours draining before hand salting and storage in the ripening store. The conditions required are similar to St. Nicholas but with a higher humidity to help develop the white mould coat.
The cheese will ripen for about six weeks before sale, but as with all soft cheeses batches will vary in the time taken to ripen depending upon milk quality, the speed of draining, and time of year. Some cheeses may take eight to ten weeks to be ripe, others may take longer. The cheese can be eaten young, according to your taste, but the best way to judge the ripeness is to get your hands on the cheese and give it a squeeze. The more it yields the riper it will be.
The cheese is made in two sizes, an individual cheese of about 250 gms and a larger cutting cheese of about 1kg in weight and 20 cm diameter.
At nearly 1000 feet above sea level, Win Green is a prominent feature of the Cranborne Chase, providing fantastic views of the beautiful surrounding area.

ELDREN is the newest cheese in our stable having been launched at the Speciality and Fine Food Show at Harrogate in June 2007. Made from unpasteurised cow’s milk it is a fresh cheese with a creamy texture, comparable to a baked cheesecake, and a clean zesty taste. When very young, at four days old, there is also a predominant taste of lemons. Although best eaten young,, this cheese if left to mature for up to 3 weeks will further develop its creamy texture.
Eldren takes its name from a wood on the Cranborne Chase estate.