Smoked Lincolnshire Poacher

A cheddar that is influenced by Alpine cheeses, such as Gruyère, Lincolnshire Poacher is actually produced on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds by brothers and fourth generation farmers Simon and Tim Jones. Made with unpasteurised milk from their own herd, the cheese was first developed in 1992 with the help of Welsh cheesemaker Dougal Campbell, who made a similar cheese called Tyn Gryg.

The cheese is made in a similar way to Cheddar – the curds are heated to 43°C, before being drained, cut into blocks and turned by hand. They are then milled, salted, moulded and pressed for 36 hours. The rind is painted with a plastic coating, which enables the cheese to breathe as it matures.

For the smoked cheese, truckles that have been aged for around 18 months are selected and cut into 1kg wedges. These are cold smoked over  over untreated dampened oak chips for 12 hours by a local, family-run smokehouse.

Smoking gives the cheese a  golden brown colour and a delicate smoked aroma and flavour through which the distinctive characteristics of Lincolnshire Poacher, such as fruity and nutty flavours, are still evident.

Smoked Poacher works well with smokey whiskies and dark ales, also adds depth to cauliflower cheese.