Killeen Farmhouse Cheese
Dutch-born Marion Roeleveld has been making Killeen goat’s cheese in the parish of Killeen outside Portumna since 2004. Before coming to Ireland Marion trained in cheesemaking in her native Netherlands. In-depth formal training of this sort is rare amongst Irish farmhouse cheesemakers and Marion’s technical expertise enabled her to develop cheeses for a number of different producers in Ireland since.
Killeen make cheese on their farm with the milk of their own 200 goats in East-Galway. A local farmer supplies them with cow’s milk for cheese making too. Killeen was crowned Supreme Champion in the Irish Cheese Awards three times, in 2011, 2014 and 2019.
Killeen goat is a Gouda cheese. The natural orange-beige rind is covered in a thin layer of breathable plastic, whilst the paste is brilliant white. At three months the flavour is fresh, clean and milky, with a very slight lactic note in the finish. The cheese develops more fruitiness as it ages up to five months, and then gradually turns nutty.
Milk type: Goat
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Mild, sweet and creamy, delicate goat flavour
Paste: White, supple, with small holes
Rind: Coating
Age: 6-10 weeks
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: traditional
Pairings: Sauvignon blanc
Season available: Available all year
Made with raw milk: No
Milk type: Goat
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Earthy, nutty, sweet
Paste: Beige, with small holes
Rind: Coating
Age: 5 months +
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: Traditional
Pairings: Galway Hooker Irish stout
Season available: Available all year
Made with raw milk: No
Milk type: Goat
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Nutty, sweet
Paste: White, with brown seeds, small holes
Rind: Coating
Age: 6-10 weeks
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: Traditional
Pairings: Gewurztraminer
Season available: Available all year
Made with raw milk: No
Milk type: Cow
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Sweet and creamy
Paste: Pale yellow, supple, with small holes
Rind: Coating
Age: 6-10 weeks
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: Traditional
Pairings: Pinot Noir
Season available: Late spring-winter
Made with raw milk: No
Milk type: Cow
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Spicy, creamy
Paste: Pale yellow, with cumin seeds, small holes
Rind: Coating
Age: 6-10 weeks
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: Traditional
Pairings: Chardonnay
Season available: Late spring-winter
Made with raw milk: No
Milk type: Cow
Style: Hard cheese
Flavour: Sweet and nutty, like Emmental.
Paste: Pale yellow, firm, with large eyes. Maasdam-style.
Rind: Coating
Age: 2 months +
Format: 5 kg wheel
Rennet: Traditional
Pairings: Chardonnay
Season available: Late spring-winter
Made with raw milk: No