Cloonbook Irish Farmhouse Artisan Cheese Wins Silver
Yesterday was the biennial Irish Farmhouse Cheese Awards, organised by CÁIS, the Irish Farmhouse Cheese Association. Cheese experts from Europe, the UK and Ireland are invited to independently judge a few hundred Irish artisan farmhouse cheeses in a blind tasting.
This year it was held at Cloughjordan House in Co. Tipperary. The sun was beaming and everyone was in great form. All the country's farmhouse cheesemakers were there, along with retail and food service buyers, and the MC for the day was Janine Kennedy, Editor of Irish Country Living in the Farmers Journal. Michael was let out for the day and did a great job of the photographs, if I say so myself.
The Supreme Champion was awarded to Leitrim Hill Creamery, who make a fantastic soft goat's cheese in (as the name might suggest) Co. Leitrim. If you ever get your hands on some, I'd highly recommend it.
Some of you OGs might remember that our Cloonbook cheese won Best New Irish Cheese two years ago. It's not new any more, and it's now on sale in approx. 35 Tescos in the Irish farmhouse cheese section and in every Aldi in the white mixed farmhouse cheese box. This year it won a silver, which we're delighted with.
