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Velvet Cloud is a range of handmade natural sheep’s milk yogurt and cheese, made on the family farm where the Flanagan family have been farming for generations. Due to the mild wet climate in the West of Ireland the Flanagan’s flock can graze an abundance of grass and clover pastures for almost the entire year.

Just two ingredients – fresh sheep’s milk and live yogurt cultures are used to make a mild tasting creamy yogurt. Recommended by nutritionists and used by the country’s top chefs, Velvet Cloud suits many who feel they have a cow dairy intolerance. Because of the molecular make up of sheep’s milk, its higher nutritional profile, and its mild naturally sweeter taste, it is popular with people interested in digestive health and those looking for a natural product with nothing added or nothing strained away.

Velvet Cloud can be enjoyed on its own, added to fruit or cereal for breakfast, as a replacement for crème fraiche or mayonnaise, as a natural creamy dressing, or used as an ingredient in sweet or savoury cooking.

Rockfield by Velvet Cloud, one of only of a very small number of sheep’s cheeses made in Ireland, Rockfield is a full flavour nutty, robust tasting sheep’s cheese covered by a thick creamy/grey rind. Aged for a minimum of 90 days the ivory huedpate is supple and creamy, when young often with small eyes (holes), slightly crumbly and becomes more firm as the cheese ripens. It is creamy and buttery in the mouth with slightly sweet and nutty undertones. The cream coloured interior of this cheese becomes firmer and darker as the maturing period is extended and the flavour becomes nuttier.

Why Sheeps Milk?

  • Sheep milk has a higher nutritional value and higher concentrations of proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins, compared to cow’s milk.
  • Because of the unique properties of sheep’s milk, it suits many with digestive challenges or who are allergic to cow’s milk.
  • Sheep’s milk has higher levels of “heart healthy fats” (or what in food chemistry we call “polar lipids”) compared to cow’s milk.

Why sheep’s milk is so nutritious?

Gram for gram, the superiority of sheep’s milk lies in the comparison with cow and goat milk – especially in the differences between levels of critical nutritional aspects like

  • Protein
  • Calcium
  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Thiamine
  • Riboflavin
  • Vitamins B6
  • B12 and D
  • The medium chain amino acids
  • Linoleic acids and all 10 of the essential amino acids

Sheep’s milk contains about one third more energythan cow or goat milk (making it a favourite of high-performance athletes). It has 70% – 80% more proteinand much more of the right kinds of fats, vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc, while being lower in sodium. It has more than twice as much Vitamin C, and double or triple the other essential vitamins. It also has more folic acid (folate).

People who are intolerant, find they can’t digest, or simply don’t like cow or goat milk, often find that sheep’s milk products are the only dairy they can enjoy. The fat globules in sheep’s milk are smaller than those in either cow or goat milk so the milk is more homogeneous. The smaller fat globules are more easily digested and less likely to cause high cholesterol
Sheep’s milk is also used by those suffering from eczema, asthma, or other allergic illnesses. The high zinc content may help with eczema, and its uniquely high levels of peptides and nucleosides may help combat allergies.

References:

For more detailed nutritional information and the latest studies on the functional benefits of sheep’s milk click here:
http://www.heliyon.com/article/e00227/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12250/full
http://www.smallruminantresearch.com/article/S0921-4488(06)00254-9/abstract

Contact Us

If you would like to know “How do you milk a sheep” or indeed you have any other questions for us please get in touch.

Velvet Cloud
Rockfield Dairy
Rockfield
Claremorris
Co Mayo, F12 XK66
Ireland

Michael Flanagan
Email: michael@rockfielddairy.com
Phone: +353 87 6390841

Aisling Flanagan
Email: aisling@rockfielddairy.com
Phone: + 353 87 9881583