Cheesemaker: Appleby's Cheese
Region: Shropshire, Shrewsbury
Milk: Cows
Pasteurisation: Raw
Vegetarian: No
Produced with a mix of evening and morning milk for a crumbly but moist texture. Can be white or orange (the saying goes that they won't buy white down South, but 'up here' they won't buy red) with the addition of annatto, though this has little bearing on the flavour.
The nose is subtle, some earthiness from the rind and a hint of the mineral flavours that are the hallmark of the region's terroir.
Flavours are a lactic sharpness at first, quickly leavened by the salty minerality. A little grassiness or toasted hay can linger at the finish, depending on the season.
Pair with something soft and rounded; a Chenin Blanc or even a dry cider or fruity DIPA.