Meet The Makers… The Old Cheese Room

Neston Park, based in Wiltshire, is an extraordinary estate with over 200 years of history. Owned by the Fuller family who were historically responsible for setting up a co-operative farmers in the area, there’s a long established link between the estate and farming. In more recent times they have made a transition to organic farming, becoming certified by The Soil Association. Their land works with a rotation between cereals, dairy and beef, with the organic cereals being the main staple of their organic Jersey Herd cattle. The pasteurised milk from these organic cattle is the source of master cheesemaker Julianna Sedli’s exceptional cheese creations.

Master Cheesemaker

Juliana started her farming background in Hungary, moving to Indiana, USA in 2004 where she made 21 different varieties of goat’s cheese, her fame leading one of the cheeses being named after her. In 2010 Julianna first came across the rich Jersey milk and the following year she took over the cheese room at Neston park – thus “The Old Cheese Room” was established.

Baronet

Her renowned cheese creation is ‘Baronet’ – a reblochon recipe with a buttery taste and a washed rind. Baronet is pasteurised but even then, you can taste the freshness of the pastures’ different plants in Spring/Summer. It has a definite floral note and a slight suggestion of citrus. In the Autumn and Winter the grazing is reduced and the cheese has a rich buttery, creamy taste. Baronet is a semi-soft cheese with a lovely pale-yellow core.

It is an aged, washed-rind cheese, it matures at cellar temperature and by washing the cheeses individually by hand for two weeks, it naturally develops a peachy/pink thin rind.

Originally, the recipe is based on Reblochon from the Haut-Savoie. Indeed the creaminess is reproduced in Baronet by using Jersey cow`s milk. Although the taste of Alpine pastures is not present in Baronet, there is still a lot of interesting flavours coming through which are more in relation to what English pastures and climate has to offer.

Also in The Old Cheese Room’s repertoire is:

Jersey Curd – much loved for its freshness and silky texture. Jersey curd is a cream cheese which has a hint of lemon. Wonderful for homemade cheesecake varieties and our favourite, Pumpkin Pie –made with Jersey Curd instead of cream.

Wasabi Pearl – A delicious cream cheese with a gentle kick. Can be hot and spicy, really goes well with toast, crackers or spread it on steak

Truffle Pearl – The Jersey Curd with Italian black truffle. A delicate fresh creamy cheese with a gentle aroma of truffle which leaves a lasting subtle taste. Perfect pairing with roast beef, a simple pasta dish or goes well with grilled cherry tomatoes.

Baronet will be in the premium Pong Cheese Club boxes this October. If you would like to receive a box of specially selected cheeses every month, such as Baronet, join the Pong Cheese Club today for only £11^ when you apply code CLUB50 at checkout.