Neals Yard Cheese Visit

In November the Senior Managers from both hotels gathered in Neal’s Yards offices in the railway arches in South London.  After donning the pre-requisite silly outfits, we were shown around their cheeses.  Irish goat, Somerset ewes cheese, these people are passionate about cheese and ways of improving the quality of cheese sold.  For those unaware, the company was established in Covent Garden in 1979 and it has championed British and Irish cheeses ever since.  When we visited a charming lady who made goat cheese in Devon and supplies Neals Yard, was working in the warehouses and expanding her knowledge of cheese in general.



Did you know?  It is thought that cheese was ‘discovered’ when people carried milk in cows stomach lining – a handy carrier bag.  The cow’s stomach has rennet in it and very quickly the milk turned to cheese.  Today most cheeses are made with the addition of rennet.



During the tour, of particular interest was the tasting of Skilteton cheese.  50 years ago some stilton was made with unpasteurised milk, as of 1992 all stiltons are made from pasteurised milk.  Skilteton is a cheese made by a farmer in collaboration with Neals Yard.  Basically, it is a stilton cheese made the old fashioned way with unpasteurised milk.  We regularly have it on our cheese menu and very nice it is too!



Report by Lynn Cowan, General Manager, Gough Hotels