Tunworth Cheese Painting

Cheese of the Week – Tunworth

Tunworth is an award winning cheese having previously won Supreme Champion in the British Cheese Awards, Best Soft Cheese in the Great British Cheese Awards, Super Gold Medal at the World Cheese Awards, Gold at the Artisan Cheese Awards and Supreme Champion Waitrose Small Producer Award.

What type of cheese it?

Tunworth is a soft, white-rinded cheese, reminiscent of a Camembert. Raymond Blanc even called it “The best Camembert in the world!” It is made with pasteurised cow’s milk and animal rennet. Unlike Camembert however, it is made with full fat milk not skimmed milk. It was developed to have a thin rind (unlike most British Brie and Camembert style this wrinkly rind is due to geotricum yeast growth which also helps the flavour develop.

What flavours does it have?

It has a mushroomy, truffley scent with a hint of garlic and an intense nutty flavour with a touch of sweetness. It has a wonderful creamy texture and when ripe it oozes beautifully.

What would you drink with it?

This is a tricky one because its hard to match both the rind and the paste. I think one of the best drinks with this is either a dry cava or champagne as the bubbles won’t worry about the lovely rich mouth coating properties of the cheese. A good single variety dry cider is also an excellent match.

How would you serve it?

It is a wonderful cheese which you can happily eat all alone possibly making little happy noises as you go. It is also fantastic baked as you would expect.

Where does the name come from?

The cheese is named after hamlet of Tunworth near where it is made, close to Basingstoke

Who makes it?

Tunworth is made by Stacey Hedges and Charlotte Spruce at the Hampshire Cheese Company who also make Winslade. Tunworth is still made entirely by hand. The milk for their cheeses is from a local single herd based at Rotherfield Park, East Tisted. Rotherfield Park is determined to continuously improve the soil from their regenerative farming system and they have played a key part in wildlife conservation for many years. The herd of cows graze on the rich and diverse pastures and produce exceptional milk for the cheese.

Featured Image -Tunworth – Mike Geno

https://hampshirecheesecompany.co.uk/