It is no secret that Artisan cheese cost more per kilogram than the cheese you would purchase from a supermarket or other large online retailer. So why is it more beneficial for us to spend our hard-earned money on artisan cheese and locally sourced produce?
Our delicatessen specialises in small batch produced British products. The reason for this is that it helps us to supply food to our retail customers that has low food mileage which minimises our impact on the environment. We also ensure that we know the provenance of our produce, only picking the best small suppliers and getting to know the people and the stories behind the food we sell. In doing so this allows smaller farms, that would not otherwise be able to compete with the low prices of mass produced and industrial farming methods, the ability to focus on small scale production and more sustainable practices.
Cattle are grazed on pasture for much longer periods of the year, as often Artisan cheese producers will have smaller herd’s and less intensive farming methods. Some cheese makers use unique breeds of cattle that would not be seen within the milk production industry.
One such example is the Gloucester breed of cows used in the making of Double and Single Gloucester cheese. This cheese, along with the breed of cattle, all but died out 200 years ago until it was revived in the 1990’s. In1994, Single Gloucester was awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. It can therefore only be made in Gloucestershire with milk from the old breed of Gloucester cows. Once again preserving traditional farming methods and their livestock.
By using traditional methods and unusual breeds alongside small herd farming methods the milk that is produced to make artisan cheese is therefore unique to each farm and geographical location. Often the French talk about the terroir of cheese and this is reflected in the flavours, complexity, and diversity of artisan cheese.
Often made using unpasteurized milk, artisan cheese has much more complex and rich flavours far superior to those of a large-scale production equivalent.
It is our job here at the deli to quality control and taste the cheeses as they arrive. It is such a wonderful experience to taste the difference of seasons in the cheese.
Eating artisan cheese is a true “Farm to Fork” experience!
To summarize, artisan cheese:
· Supports traditional farming methods and encourages the use of rare breeds of cattle.
· Encourages smaller herds that can graze for longer on pasture to produce a rich full flavoured milk, thus producing rich, intense, creamy cheeses.
· Is handmade in small batches, often on the farm or close by, providing a wonderful terroir of flavours to the cheese, unique to the style of cheese and farm it is made on.
· Follows traditional methods of cheese husbandry such as wrapping in wax paper or cloth, allowing the cheese to breath and arrive to you in perfect condition.
· Are not vacuum packed or plastic wrapped so reducing the need for environmentally damaging single-use packaging.
Don’t just take my word for it, try one of our fantastic cheese boxes today. We recommend the great British cheese box, click here to read more.
Our moto: ‘spend a little more and waste a little less’ because it’s too delicious to leave in the fridge 😉.
