Yorkshire Wensleydale PGI

‘A nice bit of Wensleydale’ has become a national catchphrase thanks to the exploits of Wallace & Gromit, but the cheese has a history that dates back much further. French Cistercian monks began making a sheep’s milk cheese in the region in the 12th century in what is believed to have been an attempt to recreate Roquefort. The recipe passed to local farmers after dissolution of  the monasteries and evolved into the crumbly cows’ milk cheese of today. Yorkshire Wensleydale is made by scalding the curds to remove whey and, after draining, they are piled up and cut into blocks in the vat. The blocks are turned, cut finer and stirred. They are then salted by hand and milled (cut finer again) before moulding. The cheeses are pressed for up to two days and can be bandaged in cloth. They are matured for one week to 12 months.