Glyde Farm Produce
Peter and Anita Thomas started producing Bellingham Blue on Anita’s family farm at Mansfieldstown, near Castlebellingham in County Louth in 2000. Peter set up the Glyde Farm business in 1996 and spent several years researching the Irish market for dairy products, before settling on making a raw milk blue cheese. The cheese was a success from the off, winning ‘Best New Dairy Product’ at the International Nantwich Show in England a couple of months after its launch onto the market.
Bellingham is a strong and rustic raw Irish blue and all milk comes from the family herd of grass-fed Friesians. Everything about Bellingham Blue is hands-on. Raw milk and vegetarian rennet is used in production. The cheese is made by hand, turned by hand, rubbed by hand to form the rind, and hand-pierced with an expert touch to get just the right amount of rich blue veining. The mottled brown rind encloses a semi-hard yellow white paste containing cavernous, mould-lined holes from which the cheese derives its strength.
Milk type: Cow
Style: Blue cheese
Flavour: Creamy, rich and robust, with a good balance between buttery and blue flavours, mild clean notes.
Paste: Semi firm pale yellow paste, with large amount of blue. The texture is slightly crumbly and the finish is long and smooth, with a hint of saltiness.
Rind: Natural rind, brown, grey and beige, depending on condition
Age: Sold at 4 months minimum
Format: 3.5kg
Rennet: Vegetarian
Pairings: Sauternes, LBV Port
Season available: Available all year
Made with raw milk: Yes
