After the successful launch of their online shop earlier this year, northern based dairy Winter Tarn have now launched the ultimate cheese subscription club. Each box features four carefully selected handmade artisan cheeses sourced from over 37 small independent makers across the British Isles, so you'll be supporting these producers too with every box.
For £30 + p&p each month, customers will receive a beautifully and sustainably packaged selection of cheeses, each carefully chosen by the Winter Tarn team, ensuring each has been matured to absolute perfection, before freshly cutting, wrapping and packing your cheese for shipping.
My cheese box included:
Tor: created in tribute to the ancient Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, this pyramid-shaped cheese has a smooth texture with a refreshing lactic kick. Created by the dairy with their own goat's milk, the cheese is then dusted with geotrichum to create an ash rind.
St Andrew's: cows on this farm graze on lush pasture overlooking the Firth of Forth. Producer Jane Stewart ages the cheese for a minimum of 12 months to produce its characteristic combination of a creamy texture partnered with a sharp, tangy flavour.
Lanark Blue: probably my favourite from the selection, this intense and delicious sheep's cheese is like a Scottish version of Roquefort, although perhaps a little softer and less crumbly and with a pronounced salty kick.
Hereford Hop: a close contender for favourite, this was a fascinating addition to the box and a perfect example of why curated selections are such a wonderful idea. Renowned cheesemaker, and creator of Stinking Bishop, Charles Martell first started producing this cheese on Hunts Court Farm in 1990. A semi-soft cheese with an intriguing nutty flavour, it is coated in toasted hops to add a hint of bitterness to the flavour profile.
Happily, the box contains everything you need to tuck into the cheese immediately. Mine had oatcakes, dinky little mini rounds of butter and tasting notes, carefully packaged with cold packs, straw and insulating material, in a recyclable cardboard box tied with string. The cheeses are wrapped in paper with the labels written by hand, which makes them attractive additions to the cheeseboard.
In much the same way as you would surrender yourself to the wisdom of the chef in an omakase or a tasting menu, subscription boxes enable you to discover new favourites in a world of dizzying possibilities. This is the kind of delegation I could get used to.
To order, visit: https://wintertarndairy.co.uk, choose your preferred delivery date of either the first or third Wednesday of the month and the Winter Tarn team will do the rest.
[Items in this article may have been gifted to Chatting Food. No financial payment has been made to feature in this article, and entries to the feature are made independently by members of the Editorial Team. This page contains affiliate links and we may receive a small commission for purchases]
Deputy Editor, Chatting Food London: Amanda David
Amanda David is a freelance food writer specialising in London’s restaurants, bars, exhibitions and events. She is the Events Editor for London Cheapo and a regular contributor to Palate Magazine.
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