Hey Americans, looking to try a new cheese? Look out for a newcomer wrapped in nettle leaves.
After a grueling 10-hour approval process with two FDA agents, Cornish Yarg from Lynher Dairies can now be exported from England to the United States. Catherine Mead, a cheesemaker at Lynher Dairies, said: “Being audited by US inspectors was very different to audits within the European dairy industry. For a start, the US inspectors had never seen stinging nettles before, so we had to explain what they were, then explain that we paint them on to the cheese after sterilising them with lemon juice.”
For Lynher Dairies, the exportation of their award-winning cheese will help with a 12 % annual growth in sales. It has also brought attention to a new project developed Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) called Better Business for All, which reduces the regulatory burden on local businesses.
Cornish Yarg is produced from a recipe that dates back to the 13th century, and combines the cheesemaking processes of Caerphilly and Wensleydale. To make the cheese, cheesemakers at Lynher Dairies collect fresh nettles from the hedgerows that border the farm. The nettle is then either frozen or steamed and applied to the cheeses when they are two days old. Even for an experienced cheesemaker, it takes about 10 minutes to apply nettle leaves to each cheese. The texture of Cornish Yarg is firm and slightly crumbly, with occasional holes or slits. Flavors are clean and lactic, with sweet, delicate notes of mushrooms, earth and cellar, accompanied by a pleasant tang. Ask your local cheesemonger if they plan on carrying it!
Photo by Independent.co.uk
Erica Mixon
Erica Mixon is an editorial intern at Culture. Mixon is also the arts editor of Emerson College's student-run newspaper, the Berkeley Beacon, and editor in chief of an upcoming human resources blog, HRTalentManagement. While Erica is not editing or writing, she enjoys spending time in her hometown of Ogunquit, Maine.
