Cave Aged Cheddar Wookey Hole 18M

Wookey Hole Caves

Our 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.

How it’s made

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.

Tasting notes

The texture is firm and the cheese is cream-coloured. 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 flavour. Not suitable for vegetarians.

Pairing Notes

The robust, sweet and nutty nuances of Wookey Hole Cave aged Cheddar is perfectly complemented by full-bodied red wines with a strong flavour. Try a classic Claret from Bordeaux in France such as Chateau Noaillac AC Medoc or Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa like The Visionnaire, Holden Manz from Franschhoek.

*All our cheeses are cut by hand so the weight may vary slightly :)