Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries….how we discovered this award-winning combination!
One of our most popular and much-loved cheeses is Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries. Described as ‘sweet & fruity’, creamy, crumbly Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese is carefully combined with the delicate fruity succulence of pure, sweet cranberries. It’s a delicious and versatile cheese perfect for snacking, nibbling, and both sweet and savoury cooking too!
Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries cheese was an original creation from the Wensleydale Creamery in 1996, and due to its popularity has since been copied by cheesemakers across the UK and beyond. But how did it come about?
As with all good stories, this one begins in a pub! A local one of course… a member of our team was enjoying a quiet drink with a friend, who happened to be a supplier of high-quality dried fruits. Discussions turned to where their respective industries were heading and what new ideas were coming to fruition (so to speak!), and they cooked up the incredible idea of putting cranberries into cheese.
Following some careful experimentation, tasting, testing and development, Yorkshire Wensleydale & Cranberries was born! It has since won numerous awards and now accounts for around a quarter of the Creamery’s sales, and is one of its most successful export products too!
There’s a two-stage process to making this eye-catching, wonderful cheese. To begin, Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese is handcrafted in the usual way; by the team of skilled cheesemakers at Wensleydale Creamery, to a time-honoured recipe using milk from local farms and its unique cheesemaking starter cultures. When the cheese is around a month old, it is taken out of the store and very carefully crumbled up – crumbling is a natural quality of this special cheese. Cranberries are then added to the crumb and carefully mixed. Care and attention are required to ensure that the cheese crumb and cranberries are mixed gently so that the correct finished texture is achieved. Too much mixing could result in a sticky, purple pulp! The cheese is then pressed to its final shape, such as a truckle, wedge or large half-moon.
Cheese Grading Notes…
The back of the cheese iron should be shiny and ‘clean’, as we would expect with a Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese. The aroma should be fresh & clean, with a sweet, fruity note.
Great paired with…
Try with a sweet digestive biscuit for simple and temping dessert or snack. The sweetness of the cheese pairs really well with an oatcake too. Or, why not enjoy crumbled into your favourite crisp salad. Serve with a chilled crisp white wine.
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