Duckett's Caerphilly

Size

Type: Semi-Soft

Milk: Raw Cow's Milk

Rennet: Animal

Location: Somerset, England

Originally made by Chris Duckett whose family had made Caerphilly on their farm near Wedmore since the 1920s, the baton for producing this cheese has now been passed on to Tom Calver at Westcombe Dairy. He, like many Somerset farmers before him, makes Cheddar & Caerphilly alongside each other.

Although originally made in Wales, Caerphilly was the food of choice for the coal miners and as that industry exploded, demand soon outstripped what the Welsh farmers could supply. The recipe made a quick trip across the Bristol Channel where Somerset farmers welcomed the chance to make a cheese that aged in 3 to 4 months which they could sell sooner, alongside their longer maturing cheddars.

Duckett’s Caerphilly has a lovely fresh character and lactic acidity in its crumbly interior but as you approach the rind where the cheese has softened, notes of summer grass, raw mushrooms and a hint of meaty savouriness emerge.