Wookey Hole Cheddar

About this item

These cheddars are carried by hand two hundred feet underground into the Wookey Hole Caves in the Mendip Hills where they are left to mature.  The constant temperature and humidity of the Caves offers ideal conditions for storing and ageing cheddar and the porous nature of the cheese enables it to take on the distinctive earthy and nutty flavours from the atmosphere.

Ford Farm’s Cave Aged Cheddars start life at the Dairy in Dorset where they are made using milk from local herds that graze the lush pastures of the Ashley Chase Estate and its environs.

The ‘Cheddaring’ process (the turning of the curds) is performed entirely by hand, as is the salting of the curds, the pressing of the cheese, and the bandaging in cheese cloth.

As a guarantee of authenticity and origin, Ford Farm Cheddar has been awarded the world renowned Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) accreditation.

Only cheddars made from locally sourced milk to traditional methods in cheddar-making country can be bestowed with this prestigious accolade in order to protect their authenticity and geographical location.

The texture is firm and the cheese is cream-colored. The aroma is a complex mix of sweet, creamy, farmy and earthy. The flavours are big, robust and well rounded, with competing notes such as sweet and salty, or earthy and tangy.  The Caves’ atmosphere bestows the cheddar with an additional, highly-distinctive, earthy and nutty flavor. Not suitable for vegetarians.