Launched in 2008 Dorset Red has gone from strength to strength, wowing the Dorset cheese eating public as well as the national and international community, with its deliciously smooth mellow, smoky flavour.
When Ford Farm takes Dorset Red to Shows across the County, it is very often the most popular choice.
Once persuaded to try it, even those who profess not to like smoked cheese, immediately fall in love with Dorset Red’s unique flavour and just keep coming back for more.
How it’s made
Dorset Red is created in the same way that Ford Farm makes its traditional cheddar, using milk sourced from local grazing herds and with the process conducted predominantly by hand.
However, the heat of the milk is lowered and less stirring is done, resulting in a milder flavour as well as a softer texture. It is pressed into block moulds and left to mature for around three months.
Dorset Red has a deep amber colour, due to the addition of annatto, a commonly used natural colouring which gives it a similar appearance to a Red Leicester.
Tasting Notes
Dorset Red is then cold-smoked over oak chips, overnight, which bestows it with its distinctive, mellow, smoky flavour.
Pairing Notes
A fresh, vibrant red wine will complement the mellow, lightly smoked flavours of the delicious Dorset Red. The ripe cherry flavours of a Chilean Pinot Noir would be perfect, perhaps the Montes Alpha Pinot Noir or maybe Allegrini’s Valpolicella from the Veneto in Italy.
Recommendations provided by Morrish & Banham, specialist wine merchants in Dorchester – www.morrishandbanham.com
Awards
Dorset Red has achieved several medals over the years. We also receive hundreds of unsolicited e mails from the general public, lauding its deliciously distinctive flavour. In fact one little boy who must be our biggest fan is utterly hooked and would favour Dorset Red over chocolate every time! Why not try it for yourself?
