Cheddar cheese was first produced in the Somerset county of England to utilise surplus spring milk production. It was developed as a hard cheese so that it would keep for the entire year until more cheese was made the following spring.
Today Cheddar is the most commonly produced cheese in the world. Fully mechanised systems have been developed to mass produce this cheese for the enormous market. Many different systems and techniques are used to make Cheddar. The result being that a great deal of cheese is called Cheddar but very little is produced using the traditional Cheddaring methods.
At Ashgrove Cheese, Cheddar is only produced through the late spring and summer when the cows are in the peak of their lactation and the milk is ideally suited to Cheddar cheese production.
The milk is not standardised prior to cheese making. The Ashgrove Farm dairy herds produce milk with a slightly higher fat content than the standard used for Cheddar. This results in a cheese that is slightly creamier than standard Cheddar with a rich nutty flavour.
Managing Director Jane Bennett spent two years making Farmhouse cheese in England prior to the establishment of Ashgrove Cheese. Six months of this time was devoted to making traditional Cheddar in Somerset 5 miles from Cheddar Gorge.
This experience forms the basis of the Ashgrove Cheddar production using traditional hand “cheddaring” techniques in open vats. Once the whey is removed from the vat the curd is allowed to matt together before being cut into large slabs and turned every 5 to 10 minutes for an hour to facilitate acid development and texture formation in the curd.
Producing Cheddar cheese this way is very hard work and requires a fit and dedicated workforce. It produces a cheese of superior texture that becomes flaky though not crumbly with age.
Traditional Cloth Matured Cheddar wheels are matured in the traditional cheese cloth bandage. Each week the maturing wheels are rubbed and turned by hand to create a firm rind around the surface of the cheese.
Time is important for the development of flavour in cheese. To ensure all Ashgrove Traditional Cloth Matured Cheddars meet the expectations of customers for a depth of flavour and character no cheeses are released at less than 15 months of age.
Ashgrove Traditional Cloth Matured Cheddar was crowned Champion Cheddar Cheese at the 2006 Australian Grand Dairy Awards. This follows numerous awards since first release including Champion Cheddar of the 2000 Sydney Regent Good Living Cheese Awards, Champion Farmhouse Cheese and first prize in the Vintage Cheddar class of the Royal Adelaide Show 2002, Champion Cheddar of the 2002 Royal Hobart Show, first prize for Vintage Cheddar in the 2005 Royal Perth Dairy . It has been awarded a gold medal at the Australian Specialty Cheese Makers Show in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.