Made in Cornwall
Cornish Yarg is a semi-hard cheese made by Lynher Dairies in England.
The story of the Yarg begins in the early 1980’s when cheesemaker Alan Gray found an old recipe in his attic. It’s now made by Catherine Mead and Dane Hopkins at Lynher Dairies in West Cornwall and its current name is a subtle nod to its first maker. (Yarg is Gray spelt backwards)
Award winning cheeses
Lynher Dairies’ cheesemakers use both science and intuition to make their cheeses. Their small but exquisite range of artisanal cheeses also includes the award winning Cornish Kern.
How Cornish Yarg is made
When making Yarg, they pasteurise cow’s milk collected from a small number of local dairies. Afterwards, they add a ripening culture and rennet to the milk which forms the curd. Finally, the curd is cut and separate from the whey until each piece is as small as a grain of rice. Moreover, this increases acidity and aids with fermentation.
Thereupon, the cheesemaker blocks and mills the curd to be hand-packed into the moulds. Once the cheese is pressed, it is brined overnight.
Foraged leaves
Now, this is where the magic happens. From May to September, the team painstakingly forage the grounds for nettle leaves by hand. Once dry, they paint the leaves onto the wheels of cheese and allow them to mature for up to 5 weeks.
At the 5 week point, the leaf-wrapped Yarg develops a beautiful white patchy bloom over the nettle.
The end product is a semi-hard cheese with a creamy layer under the rind and a slightly crumbly core. It has mild aromas of mushroom and a damp forest floor. The flavour is delicately lemony and yoghurty with a certain earthiness on the rind.
How to serve Cornish Yarg
Be sure to get a piece with the rind all around. It adds an extra dimension to the flavour and texture. Enjoy with a creamy Chardonnay.
Serve on an all English cheese platter with Tunworth and Shropshire Blue.
