Bodnant Rolls Out New Cheese

The artisan cheese, which has already proved popular at the Conwy Valley farm shop, has also claimed its first award – bronze at the International Cheese Show held in Nantwich earlier this year, the only artisan Welsh producer in the top three.

The Caerphilly cheese by Bodnant Welsh Food Centre has already cut itself a wedge of the honours by crumbling the opposition in two major shows.

Aled Rowland, Bodnant’s resident artisan cheesemaker said, “It’s made from a traditional recipe and, in fact, Bodnant is only one of just a handful using it in Wales. The key ingredient and a secret of its success is the very best quality milk. We use only one milk source, the Friesian dairy herd at Tal y Cafn Ucha Farm, which is just half a mile away from Bodnant.

“We get the fresh milk delivered from there two or three times a week and use it to produce about five wheels of Caerphilly per batch. The wheels weigh in at three kilos each and are covered in a natural rind. Lots of cheeses are covered in a cheesecloth but we allow our Caerphilly to develop a wonderful ivory coloured rind.”

Chris Morton, managing director said, “This is another successful story for our on-site dairy. We started 2015 by launching a smoked cheese, our Abermwg, so launching this new Caerphilly is a great way to end the year.

“Feedback from our customers who have been sampling the cheese has been very positive and so we are now going into full production. We’ve got more innovations in the coming months, so we will be keeping the dairy very busy.”

Debbie Leviseur, dairy manager said, “The Caerphilly is the latest cheese to come from our own dairy and we’re delighted with the reception it’s getting from everyone. Ever since we introduced it it’s been a big hit in the farm shop at Bodnant, with customers saying they recognise it as a traditional-tasting cheese taste from years ago.

“It is eaten at a young age, anything from four weeks old. It’s white, firm textured and crumbly and, while it comes from the same cheese family as Lancashire, its flavour is unique to Bodnant. Like all our cheeses, it’s also suitable for vegetarians.”