Meet The Makers… Shepherds Purse
Based in North Yorkshire, Shepherds Purse is a proudly independent, traditional cheese-making business. It is run by a team of 30 passionate artisans being led by Katie and Caroline, the daughters of original cheese-maker Judy Bell.
Shepherds Purse Artisan Cheeses began in the late 1980s. Judy discovered her passion and talent for cheese making and set out on a mission to create quality dairy alternatives for cow’s milk allergy sufferers.
The dairy started by making cheese only from sheep milk, growing organically over the years to eventually introduce cow’s milk and even water buffalo milk cheeses.
In 1989 they won their first gold award with Olde York at Nantwich International Cheese Show. Today they are well known for their blue cheeses and have won many awards for Harrogate Blue, including being named in the top 15 cheeses in the world at the world cheese awards.
Their full cheese range includes:
Blue-veined
- Harrogate Blue – made for a minimum of 10 weeks allowing the cheese to develop exactly the right depth of flavour and creaminess. It’s soft, luxuriously creamy and blue-veined, delivering a mellow blue flavour with a hint of pepper to finish.
- Yorkshire Blue – wonderfully sweet and buttery with no sharp bite
- Mrs Bell’s Blue – considered to be one of the best ewes’ milk blue cheeses in Europe
- Buffalo Blue – well-balanced, delivering meaty umami flavours.
- Northern Blue – a mature blue which packs a little more punch whilst retaining it’s creamy texture.
Mould ripened
- Bluemin white – oozes melt-in-the-mouth deliciousness. When fully ripe, the creamy texture and mature flavours do great justice to a bottle of good wine.
Soft whites
- Yorkshire Fettle -This is Yorkshire’s version of feta, made with whole ewes’ milk. Combines a soft, slightly crumbly texture with a sweet piquant flavour.
- Katy’s White Lavender –combines the delicate fragrances of lavender with the meadowy sweetness of ewe’s milk.
- Olde York – Refreshingly soft creamy cheese made with milk from the noblest English ewes. Makes a smashing accompaniment to champagne and strawberries.
We love Shepherd’s Purse blue cheeses and as such, Harrogate Blue features in our Christmas Explorer Box and our Christmas Extravaganza Box. Shepherds Purse cheeses will also feature in upcoming Pong Cheese Club boxes.
If you would like to receive a box of specially selected cheeses every month, such as Harrogate Blue, join the Pong Cheese Club today for only £11^ when you apply code CLUB50 at checkout.
