Westcombe Cheddar

Producer: Westcombe Dairy

Location: Westcombe, Somerset

Style: Hard

Milk Type: Cow

Milk Treatment: Raw

Tasting Notes: Savoury, Grassy, Fruity

Vegetarian: No

One of only three PDO Cheddars (West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese). Made by Tom Calver, on their farm in the heart of Somerset, where they have been making cheese from the milk of three local farms, since the 1890's.

Maturing caves are built in to the hillside, where they have a robot called 'Tina the Turner', who turns and brushes every cheese during their maturation process. 

The name 'Cheddar', comes from the process of 'cheddaring' during the make. Slabs of curd are stacked and turned along the sides of the vat, or cooling table, until the desired acidity level is reached. This aids in the drainage of whey from the curds, giving cheddar its unmistakable texture, moisture content, and flavours.