Velocheese Mozzarella

Davide Tani, founder of Velocheese, is originally from Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, and studied cheesemaking in Puglia. He moved to Belfast with his Northern Irish wife in 2015 and started Velocheese, producing pasta filata cheeses, before going into business with local cheesemonger Indie Füde. Together they have set up a dairy and shop at Banana Block – a museum, events space and small business hub in a historic linen mill in East Belfast.

Tani is passionate about engineering and cycling (‘velo’ comes from ‘velomobile’ – a type of  bicycle car that he designs) and plans to deliver cheese in Belfast by bicycle.

The mozzarella is made by hand, using starter cultures and animal rennet to create a curd, which is then cut and removed from the whey. It is salted, before being stretched in 90ºC hot water to achieve an elastic texture. Pieces of the curd are then fashioned into small balls, which are sold in pots filled with brine.

Velocheese’s mozzarella has a shiny skin and springy texture with clean, milky notes, plus a delicate lactic tang and mild savoury finish.

Tani recommends Italian whites such as Greco di Tufo and Falanghina, while crisp and fruity pale ales also work well. The cheesemaker also likes to roast slices of tomato, aubergine and mozzarella together in a lighter version of Parmigiana melanzana.