Autumn Seasonal Cheeseboard

 

“As the land around transitions into the rust and ruddy colours of autumn; the hedgerows and trees heavily ladened with the season’s glut of fruits and nuts, we too transition, as the nights draw in ever closer, we wrap ourselves up against the changing winds and light fires to warm the cockles.” Angus D. Birditt, cheese expert, poet, writer and photographer joins us once more, as he curates the most deliciously perfect and balanced autumn cheeseboard. 
 
“Outside in the fields and meadows, the hay has been cut, the harvest taken in, and the land is readied to sow again. For our dairy farmers, this time of year is all about managing their grazing swards and readying their animals for the colder months. Still, they milk their animals morning and evening, a portion of which supplies our artisan cheesemakers, who themselves are beavering away in their dairies, making and maturing plenty of cheese for the festive season ahead.”
 
“My Fortnum’s Autumn Cheeseboard reflects this turning of season and celebrates that wonderful sense of community that can be had around a good cheeseboard. From a groundbreaking raw milk Wensleydale to a world-award-winning blue cheese, this cheeseboard has everything you need to enrich you and your friends and families’ tastebuds during these colder months of the year.”

 

Discover Angus' Spring Cheesboard and Summer Cheeseboard.

 

Fellstone Wensleydale

Fellstone is a ground-breaking cheese, one that has bucked the trend for the last few decades, and here’s why. Over the last century, many of our ‘Territorial Cheeses’ – cheese that typifies a traditional method of make in a particular region, just like Cheddars and Cheshires – have been lost due to several factors. The diversity of our Territorials reduced so much so that we lost many completely, one being our raw milk farmhouse Wensleydales. However, in the last decade we have seen a great resurgence with three raw milk farmhouse Wensleydales in both Cumbria and Yorkshire. The first being Fellstone, made by husband-and-wife duo, Tom and Clare Noblet at Whin Yeats Dairy.
 
Fellstone Wensleydale is made using the farm’s raw milk, sourced from their herd of Pedigree British Friesians – rather beautiful animals I was fortunate enough to meet when I joined an evening milking session on the farm. Made to an ancient ‘Dales’ recipe and aged for three to four months, Fellstone is completely different to a factory-made Wensleydale, with its sumptuous supple texture and fresh, citrusy notes that live long in the mouth. It’s a brilliant cheeseboard addition.

 

Milk: Raw, unpasteurised cow’s milk 

Rennet: Animal Rennet

 

Sinodun Hill

Shaped in the most showstopping pyramid, Sinodun Hill is a soft goat’s milk cheese made by Fraser Norton and Rachel Yarrow at the Earth Trust Farm in South Oxfordshire. To make Sinodun Hill, they source their milk from two herds, their own herd of mainly pure-bred Anglo Nubian goats and another local herd. Proud of their high animal welfare standards, Fraser and Rachel pay close attention to how they manage their animals, providing them with direct access to pasture as well as hay cut from local wildflower meadows throughout the year. 
 
During the make of Sinodun Hill, Fraser and Rachel make sure they gently nurture the milk to allow its quality to really shine through. The method is long and slow, over four days, using the minimum of added cultures and rennet. What results is a super soft, delicately textured cheese, which, once it hits your mouth, coats it in the most luxurious yogurty and zesty flavours, cut perfectly with a good damson cheese.

 

Milk: Pasteurised goat’s milk

Rennet: Vegetarian Rennet, derived from cardoon thistle

 

Durrus  

Made in Ireland’s West Cork, Durrus is a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese. Initially made by Jeffa Gill in the 1970s, Durrus is now produced by her daughter Sarah Hennessy and the rest of the Durrus cheesemaking team. Like many of the top artisan cheeses, both milk quality and the delicate handling of the milk during the making of Durrus are both paramount. The milk has been sourced from the same local farm for over three decades that rears British Friesian cows. 
 
Durrus has a wonderful buoyant texture to it, bulging rather satisfyingly when cut. The flavour profile of Durrus includes gentle savoury and earthy notes and is said to produce aromas akin to that of the nearby Coomkeen Hills. 

 

Milk: Pasteurised cow’s milk

Rennet: Animal Rennet

 

Devon Blue

Devon Blue is made by Ben Harris just outside Totnes in Devon. Cheesemaker Ben is passionate about sourcing the best quality milk to make his cheeses, and to produce this breathtakingly-good blue, Ben sources the milk from a couple of farms local to the dairy. These farms rear British Friesian cows that graze on diverse pastures in the rolling countryside of the South Hams. 
 
This is a truly outstanding blue cheese. In recent years, Devon Blue has been included in the Top 10 at the World Cheese Awards – run by the Guild of Fine Food – judging over 4,000 cheeses from over 40 countries. The taste of Devon Blue is rich and indulgent, full of sweet, creamy, caramelly notes. Devon Blue is matured for around four months. 

 

Milk: Pasteurised cow’s milk 

Rennet: Vegetarian Rennet

 

A bountiful and delicious cheeseboard perfect for your autumn table. Be sure to check back after Christmas for Angus’ winter board, which is equally as impressive. In the meantime, explore our range of artisan cheeses in store or online.