Exmoor Blue Cheese

Exmoor Blue Cheese. Archival promotional photo from www.amazon.co.uk

Exmoor was a creamy yellow farmhouse blue cheese made in different sized rounds. It is no longer in production.

It was made from raw milk from Jersey cows. The milk was heated to 21 C (70 F), at which point the starter culture was added. The milk was then raised to a temperature of 29 to 32 C (85 to 90 F) for a few hours. At this point, Penicillium roqueforti bacteria were added, along with vegetarian rennet to curdle the milk. The curd was then cut, drained and put into moulds. The moulds were turned after 6 hours, and again 12 hours after that. A day later, the cheeses were immersed in brine for 6 hours, then drained for a day and a half, and turned twice during that process. Holes were then poked into the cheeses using needles to allow air into them. The cheeses were then sprayed with Penicillium candidum bacteria, and aged 2 to 4 months.

Exmoor Blue Cheese was produced at Willet Farm, Lydeard St Lawrence, near Taunton, Somerset.

The cheese had a European PGI designation. , which was award on 28 April 1999. ^[1]Exmoor Blue Cheese: Protected food name with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Accessed April 2022 at https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/exmoor-blue-cheese

Nutrition

The average fat content of Exmoor Blue Cheese was 34 %.

History Notes

The cheese was created by a Dr Alan Duffield (who also created Berkshire Blue Cheese).

Duffield began making Exmoor Blue Cheese in 1986, at first from a mix of raw Jersey cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk. In 1990, he began using only Jersey cow milk.

At first Duffield called the cheese “Jersey Blue.”

He sold the business to former employees Ian and Ruby Arnett in 2002.

It went out of production, probably sometime between 2010 and 2014.

The company was declared dissolved in April 2017. The last financials filed with the government were in 2014, showing mostly debt. ^[2] Exmoor Blue Cheese Limited. Companies House. London, England. Accessed April 2022 at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04554839/filing-history

The company also made a cheese they called “Somerset Blue.”

Sources

EUR-Lex – 31999R0872 – EN. Commission Regulation (EC) No 872/1999 . Official Journal L 110, 28/04/1999 P. 0004 – 0007.