Belton Farm Red Fox

The Basics

Make	Hard
Sub Make	Cheeses which acidify in the vat
Post-Make	Wrapped, Rolled or Processed
Sub Post-Make	Artificial (plastic coating, wax coat, matured in vacuum pack)
Typical age profile	16 months
Approximate weight(s)	Various, including 20kg blocks, 12kg rounds and 4kg wheels.
Geographical origin	Shropshire, England
Protected status	N/A
Species of milking animal	Cow
Raw/pasteurised milk	Pasteurised cows' milk
Vegetarian/animal rennet	Vegetarian
Commonly encountered variations	N/A

The Story

The Beckett family have been based at Belton Farm in Shropshire since 1922 when the current owner’s grandfather first set up the business. Today, the company makes a range of territorial cheeses, including Cheshire, Cheddar, Caerphilly, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester, using milk from a group of local dairy farms, all within a 25 mile radius. The cows graze on the Cheshire plain, which sits upon underlying rock salt deposits, giving the milk and cheese a trademark slightly salty taste. The salt used in cheesemaking also comes from local Cheshire salt mines.

Red Fox, which was named in honour of the fox-shaped weather vane that has stood at Belton Farm since 1815, was developed in 2011 to meet changing tastes. Made to a Red Leicester recipe that has been significantly changed and developed, the cheese is made with specially selected starter cultures and has a sweet flavour and crunchy texture thanks to naturally occurring calcium lactate crystals.

Red Fox is made with pasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet. It is matured in vacuum packs for around 16 months. The red colour comes from the addition of annatto.

The Character

The underlying texture is smooth, but there is also crunch from calcium lactate crystals. The flavour is sweet and savoury.

Perfect Partners

A versatile cheese for matching. Works with light whites, such as Pinot Grigio, but can also stand up to the might of Shiraz. Also goes well with refreshing wheat beers.