A sign that says that Neal's Yard Dairy exports a cheese, is reason enough for us to try it.
Our taste in cheese seems to be very much akin to the people at Neal's Yard who select the cheeses they collect under their label and send from the United Kingdom to markets around the world.
Today, at Whole Foods on River Street in Cambridge we chose their Ardrahan Irish Farmhouse Cheese for our weekend cheese course.
This cow's milk, washed-rind cheese is soft and buttery on the inside with a funky rind. It's a cheese for the more experienced cheese sampler. And, please let the Ardrahan come to room temperature before serving. It would be a total waste to eat it cold.
The official description from the dairy site is, "Meaty, smoky, creamy, succulent milky-sweet cheeses. The interior has a freshness and moistness while the rind, which has been washed with saltwater, is savoury, and pungent."
At Murray's cheese in NYC they say, "An ideal picnic cheese, with a hunk of fatty, cured meat. A thick,
chocolately (sic) stout tempers Ardrahan's masculinity. Guinness is our go-to
choice." Click over to Murray's full review under "Other Opinions" below.
Here's the label from today's purchase with all the details. As you can see from the weight and price, we buy small pieces of special cheeses and eat them while they're at their best.
Details:
Other Opinions:
http://www.murrayscheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=20050600000
http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ARDRA
http://www.ilovecheese.co.uk/Irish.html
http://www.bestofbridgestone.com/listman/listings/l0099.html
