Coloured Cheshire – Belton Farm

The Becket 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 slightly salty taste.

The salt used in cheesemaking also comes from local Cheshire salt mines.

The cheese is made using pasteurised milk, bulk starter cultures, and vegetarian rennet.  Once the curd has been cut to thumbnail-size pieces and scalded, it is pitched onto a curd draining table, turned by hand, milled and salted. The cheeses are pressed in different shapes and sizes of mould, before the cheese is matured in vacuum packs for 10 weeks to four months.

The Red Cheshire gets its colour from the addition of annatto.

Light and crumbly with subtle hints of fresh citrus and a slightly salty taste.

Works well with white wines, including Chardonnay and Riesling, as well as light reds, such as Beaujolais.