Cheese is the best friend that we don’t deserve – it goes with everything, can be eaten hot or cold and is basically just there for us at the end of a long day (look, we all have our coping mechanisms, cheese is as good as any).
There’s often a lot of focus on French and Italian cheeses as being the best you can buy, but Irish farmhouse cheeses are really beginning to make a name for themselves both at home and abroad.
Our high quality dairy and artisan methods mean that Irish cheese is actually one of the finest qualities you can try, and farmers markets all over the country are selling their delish specialties.
Here’s 15 of the most mouth-watering, indulgent, cheesiest cheeses you need in your life that are all created right here in Eire.
1. Kilree Gold, Knockdrinna Farmhouse Cheese
Knockdrinna Gold is a semi hard goats milk cheese with a beautiful golden rind.
It has a creamy texture (perfect for smothering all over some crunchy bread) and a smoked nutty flavour with a hint of pepper when mature.
2. Wicklow Bán, Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese
This delightful creamy brie cheese is handmade in a purpose built dairy on the family farm.
Mild in flavour, this blend is tasty enough to rival any French brie – try it.
3. Cais Dubh, Fermoy Natural Cheese
Created by a natural cheese company in County Cork, cheesemakers Frank and Gudrig Shinnik make this Gouda style cheese called Cais Dubh.
Slightly sharper than a Dutch Gouda, this is a tangy result perfect for a cheese board.
4. Macroom Buffalo Ricotta, Macroom Buffalo Cheese
Ireland’s first and only herd of of milking water Buffalo are to thank for this heavenly creamy ricotta hailing from Cork.
Ideal as a soft spread or even crumbled over pasta or pizza, this cheese is divine.
5. Coolea Farmhouse Cheese, Coolea Cheese
We LOVE this mild n’ creamy Gouda style cheese.
It’s golden and semi-hard, and tastes like toffee and cashews – the dream cheese if you ask us.
6. St. Tola Ash Log, Inagh Farmhouse Cheese
Don’t be put off by the black ash on the rind of this delish goats cheese, it adds a subtle smokey flavour.
The cheese is rolled in traditional food grade ash when fresh, slowing down the development and maturation of the cheese so after a few weeks of careful handling, an elegant, smooth textured and full flavoured cheese emerges.
7. Durrus Farmhouse Cheese, Durrus Cheese
The flavour of the Durrus can range from mild, mellow and grassy when young to rich, strong and earthy when aged.
It was developed in 1979 and has been going strong ever since <3
8. Crozier Blue, J&L Grubb
This hand-made, semi-soft, blue veined, medium-strength blue cheese has a creamy texture and is SO good.
Made with sheep’s milk for an extra touch of flavah.
9. Diliskus, Dingle Peninsula Cheese
This seaweed infused cheese is made from raw milk, and then stone pressed and matured in a 200 year-old stone storehouse.
The taste is meaty-sweet in the beginning, developing into a salty mineral vegetable broth, a white wine flavor with a spicy finish.
10. Cahills Whiskey Cheese, Cahills Cheese
This yellow waxed gourmet cheese truckle is hand made using Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, and matured with a tantalising taste.
It’s a simple vintage cheddar that was originally meant for special festive occasions, but is 100% gorge enough to eat all year round. (Tip: Their porter marbled cheese is also a must try!)
11. Ardrahan Farmhouse Cheese, Ardrahan Cheese
Ardrahan cheese is semi-soft with a pungent but droolworthy aroma.
It’s buttery with a textured honey-colour centre and a complex flavour – this goes exceptionally well with a sharp craft beer.
12. Boilie, Fivemiletown Creamery
BoilÃe are pearls of soft creamy cheese marinated with herbs and peppercorns in a garlic infused oil, perfect for summer salads or just eating on their own.
This goats cheese made by expert cheesemakers Fivemiletown is pure perfection.
13. Carrigaline Blueberry, Carrigaline Cheese
Blueberries? In cheese? YES.Â
This is kinda like a better, creamier version of Wensleydale with a full on flavour that goes great on a crunchy cracker.
14. Gubbeen Cheese, Gubbeen
Gubbeen Cheese is a surface ripened, semi-soft, cows milk cheese with a pink and white rind.Â
The flavours are creamy with mushroom and nutty aftertastes but vary depending on maturity of cheese, and it can be bought young or aged.
15. Sheridans 15 Fields Cheddar, Sheridans Cheesemongers
A gorge cheddar style cheese that has a compact but not overly dry texture and a clean long flavour, incorporating gentle acidity, with earthy and sweet flavours and aromas.
It’s made with raw milk and a vegetarian rennet, and is ideal for nibbling on.
Craving a bug hunk if cheese yet? We thought so.
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