Gloucester cheese

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Gloucester
Double Gloucester cheese.jpg
Country of origin England
Region Gloucestershire
Source of milkTraditionally from Gloucester cattle
PasteurisedTraditionally no
Texturesemi-hard
Aging time36 weeks
CertificationSingle Gloucester: PDO
Named after Gloucester
Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

Gloucester is a traditional, semi-hard cheese which has been made in Gloucestershire, England, since the 16th century. There are two varieties of the cheese, Single and Double; both are traditionally made from milk from Gloucester cattle. Both types have a natural rind and a hard texture, but Single Gloucester is more crumbly, lighter in texture and lower in fat. Double Gloucester is allowed to age for longer periods than Single, and it has a stronger and more savoury flavour. It is also slightly firmer. The wild flower Galium verum , known colloquially as lady's bedstraw, was originally responsible for the distinctively yellow colour of Double Gloucester cheese. [1]

Contents

In the United Kingdom today, Double Gloucester is more widely sold. Both types are produced in round shapes, but Double Gloucester rounds are larger. Traditionally whereas the Double Gloucester was a prized cheese comparable in quality to the best Cheddar or Cheshire, and was exported out of the county, Single Gloucester tended to be consumed within Gloucestershire.

Most Double Gloucester sold in UK supermarkets is slab cheese, made in large creameries operated by major dairy companies such as Dairy Crest. Supermarkets normally sell Double Gloucester under their own store brand. This version of the cheese is pasteurised, but not processed.

Revival of Farmhouse Gloucester

Manufacture of traditional Gloucester cheeses from the Gloucester cow died out in the 1950s along with most of the Gloucester cattle. [2] However, in 1973 Charles Martell managed to gather 3 Old Gloucester cows [3] from the herd of less than 50 left in the county. [2] A BBC TV series A Taste of Britain filmed his successful attempt to revive the tradition of farmhouse Double Gloucester that year. [4] In 1978 Charles Martell went on to revive the lost single Gloucester cheese. [3] Traditionally produced Gloucester cheese has been supported by the Slow Food movement since 2004. [5] Single Gloucester cheese has Protected Designation of Origin and can only be made in Gloucestershire on farms with Gloucester cows. As of 2010 six cheese makers are producing this cheese. [6]

Variations

'Cotswold' with crackers Cheese 24 bg 051306.jpg
'Cotswold' with crackers

Double Gloucester is often blended with other ingredients. One variety made by blending with chives and spring onions has been marketed as Cotswold cheese, though this is not a traditional English cheese name. [7] [8] This cheese is supposedly coloured similarly to Cotswold stone. [9]

Huntsman cheese, also known as Stilchester, is made with alternating layers of Double Gloucester and Stilton.

Origin of double and single names

The reason for the two types of Gloucester cheese being called 'double' and 'single' is not known. The main theories are:

Cheese-rolling

A wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is also used every spring for the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, in which competitors chase the cheese down a steep Gloucestershire hillside; the first person to reach the bottom of the 50% gradient, 200 yards (180 m) slope wins the cheese. [12] The wheel has a one-second head start. During its roll, it can accelerate to speeds of at least 70 mph under the effects of gravity. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheddar cheese</span> Type of relatively hard English cheese

Cheddar cheese is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset, South West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucestershire</span> County of England

Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gouda cheese</span> Dutch yellow cheese made from cows milk

Gouda cheese is a creamy, yellow cow's milk cheese originating from the Netherlands. It is one of the most popular and produced cheeses worldwide. The name is used today as a general term for numerous similar cheeses produced in the traditional Dutch manner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brie</span> Variety of French soft cheese

Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated. It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mould. The rind is typically eaten, with its flavour depending largely upon the ingredients used and its manufacturing environment. It is similar to Camembert, which is native to a different region of France. Brie typically contains between 60% and 75% butterfat, slightly higher than Camembert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brunost</span> Norwegian cheese

Brunost is a common Norwegian name for mysost, a family of soft cheese-related foods made with whey, milk, and/or cream. The characteristic brown color and sweet taste result from milk sugars being caramelized after boiling. The term brunost is often used to refer to fløtemysost or Gudbrandsdalsost, which are the most popular varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String cheese</span> Elongated type of cheese

String cheese is any of several different types of cheese where the manufacturing process aligns the proteins in the cheese, making it stringy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stilton cheese</span> English type of cheese

Stilton is an English cheese, produced in two varieties: Blue, which has Penicillium roqueforti added to generate a characteristic smell and taste, and White, which does not. Both have been granted the status of a protected designation of origin (PDO) by the European Commission, requiring that only such cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire may be called Stilton. The cheese takes its name from the village of Stilton, now in Cambridgeshire, where it has long been sold, but cannot be made because it is not in one of the three permitted counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Leicester</span> English hard cheese similar to Cheddar

Red Leicester is an English cheese similar to Cheddar cheese, but crumbly in texture. It is typically aged 6 to 12 months. The rind is reddish-orange with a powdery mould on it. Since the 18th century, it has been coloured orange by the addition of annatto extract during manufacture. It is a cow's milk cheese, and is named after the city of Leicester, or the ceremonial county it is located in, Leicestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancashire cheese</span>

Lancashire is an English cow's-milk cheese from the county of Lancashire. There are three distinct varieties of Lancashire cheese. Young Creamy Lancashire and mature Tasty Lancashire are produced by a traditional method, whereas Crumbly Lancashire is a more recent creation suitable for mass production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goat cheese</span> Cheese made from the milk of goats

Goat cheese, goat's cheese or chèvre is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety of recipes, giving many different styles of cheeses, from fresh and soft to aged and hard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake</span> Annual event held in Gloucestershire, England

The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, at Brockworth near Gloucester, England. Participants race down the 200-yard (180 m) long hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. It is uncertain when the tradition first began, and is possibly much older than its earliest known written attestation in 1826. The event has a long tradition, held by the people of the village, but now people from a wide range of countries take part in the competition as well. The Guardian called it a "world-famous event," with winners coming from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stinking Bishop (cheese)</span> English semi-soft cheese

Stinking Bishop is a washed-rind cheese produced since 1972 by Charles Martell and Son at Hunts Court Farm, Dymock, Gloucestershire, in the west of England. It is made from the milk of Old Gloucester cattle.

Crowdie is a type of soft, fresh cheese made from cows' milk, traditionally from Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corleggy Cheese</span> Irish cheese company

Corleggy Cheeses is an Irish cheese producer in County Cavan. It was started by Silke Cropp in 1985 using milk from her own goat herd. Today Corleggy make a variety of different cheese from goat's milk, sheep's milk and cow's milk sourced from local farmers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Gloucester</span> British breed of cattle

The Old Gloucester or Gloucester is a traditional British breed of cattle originating in Gloucestershire and surrounding areas in the West Country of England. It was originally a triple-purpose breed, reared for milk, for beef and for draught use; it is now a dual-purpose animal. It is an endangered breed, and its conservation status is listed as "priority" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derby cheese</span>

Derby cheese is a mild, semi-firm British cow's milk cheese made in Derbyshire with a smooth, mellow texture and a buttery flavour. Like most of the traditional British hard cheeses it was produced exclusively on farms and was typically sold at a younger age than its more famous cousins Cheddar and Cheshire. It has a pale, golden orange interior with a natural or waxed rind and ripens at between one and six months. In many respects Derby is similar to Cheddar in taste and texture, but with a softer body and slightly higher moisture content. When young it is springy and mild but as it matures subtle sweet flavours develop and the texture becomes firmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Types of cheese</span> Classification of coagulated milk products

There are many different types of cheese. Cheeses can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as length of fermentation, texture, methods of production, fat content, animal milk, and country or region of origin. The method most commonly and traditionally used is based on moisture content, which is then further narrowed down by fat content and curing or ripening methods. The criteria may either be used singly or in combination, with no single method being universally used.

Fivemiletown Creamery is based in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and is a producer of handmade speciality soft cheeses and cheddars The company is a farmers' co-operative, and employs around 40 people. The creamery draws its milk supplies mostly from over 60 dairy farmers from across Northern Ireland. The company was founded in 1898 and added cheese production in 1972. Fivemiletown Creamery is the only speciality cheese maker in Northern Ireland. In 2014 Fivemiletown Creamery was acquired by Dale Farm.

References

  1. Howard, Michael A. (1987). Traditional Folk Remedies: A Comprehensive Herbal. Random House of Canada. pp. 163–. ISBN   0-7126-1731-0.
  2. 1 2 Pearce, Pam (2 May 2018). "Say cheese - the history of Double Gloucester and Single Gloucester". GloucestershireLive. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Charles Martell & Son - Cheesemakers and Distillers". www.charlesmartell.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  4. "BBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme, A Taste of Britain: Revisited". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. "Artisan Single and Double Gloucester Cheese". Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. "Charles Martell & Son - History of the Company and Farming in Gloucestershire". www.charlesmartell.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  7. Jones, David E. H. (7 December 1978). "Ariadne". New Scientist . 80 (1132): 824. ISSN   0262-4079. For cheese manufacturers, from some dying pressure of conscience perhaps, have taken to adding substances to cheese to give some counterfeit of flavour. For example, we now have Cotswold, a cheese with chives in it.
  8. Widcombe, Richard (1978), The Cheese Book, Chartwell Books, p. 57, ISBN   9780890096628, Background: This is one of several new varieties of English cheese flavoured with various additives. Description: Cotswold is a version of the traditional English cheese Double Gloucester with chives added. It has the smooth, mellow taste of the typical Gloucester with the chives imparting a fragrant, delicate, oniony flavour.
  9. "Cotswold Cheese". Gourmet-food.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  10. "Under the Spotlight: Double Gloucester". Belton Farm. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  11. Pearce, Pam (17 May 2017). "The difference between Double Gloucester and Single Gloucester cheese". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  12. "The Official Site of Cheese Rolling". Cheese-rolling.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  13. Maynard, Matt (22 May 2018). "In Conversation With a Cheese Chaser – Men's Running UK". Men's Running. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  14. Morris, Steven (27 May 2024). "'You just have to roll': Gloucestershire cheese-rolling race has international appeal". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 October 2024.