Who are we?
We’ve been importing cheeses from Spain for over 30 years. During that time, there has been a revolution in Spanish artisan cheesemaking. We’ve been developing our skills to improve the way we transport and care for both traditional cheeses and the amazing lactic and washed rind cheeses that are now being made.
Which cheeses have you chosen to mature?
Quicke’s Cheddar
Why did you enter the competition?
We thoroughly enjoyed taking part last year. Practising affinage on styles and sizes of cheese we don’t normally work with makes us question what we do and how we do it.
What is your relationship with affinage to date?
The tradition of affinage is only practiced in a couple of regions of Spain, so we’re improving the way we care for our cheeses by storing them in better conditions and step-by-step trying to bring out the best in each variety of cheese.
How are you approaching the maturation and why have you chosen this approach?
We’re interested in adapting traditional Spanish maturing techniques to the cheddar. Before refrigeration, cheeses in farms in the Canaries were coated in beeswax or lard and stored in sacks of wheat or lentils to create a stable environment. This year, we’re considering sealing the rind in Iberico lard and wheat germ.
What are your expectations for the matured cheeses?
We’re expecting some full-bodied, complex flavours, the Iberico lard definitely adds animal notes. The cheeses we import that are coated in lard also have a certain succulent texture and caramel flavours that we’d like to reproduce.
