Cashel Blue®

Cashel Blue®

Country of Origin: Ireland
Established: 1984
Milk Type:  Whole Cow’s Milk
Pasteurised: Yes
Rennet: Vegetarian
Style: Semi-Soft, Blue

The Cheese

Characterful but not strong. Our youngest Cashel Blue® will reach you in Ireland and the UK at between 6 to 10 weeks of age and is pleasant, firm and creamy-edged with an established blue character – offset by a mouth-watering tanginess. By 3 months of maturation your Cashel Blue® will have broken down to a richer, fuller and rounder yet not strong flavour.

With time Cashel Blue® becomes creamier and indeed more balanced in flavour as the saltiness, blueness and gentle milky elements integrate together. From 3 months a gentle touch of spice may become apparent. Cashel Blue® can age up to 6 months of age becoming increasingly unctuous in texture with age. Beyond this point Cashel Blue® loses it’s way and enters the sphere of hot strong blues, an area we are not comfortable in. Here are some Pairing and Accompaniment ideas for Cashel Blue®, and also some mouthwatering recipes to try!

The Look

Cashel Blue® has a white appearance or paste as it is technically called when young turning increasingly towards a buttery yellow as it matures. Throughout this paste there is a blueing often referred to as having marble-like pattern. The rind, which with time can develop a film of surface mould is untreated and is therefore edible. It is intrinsic to the cheese and contributes to the breaking down of the paste, adding further flavour and complexity. N.B. the rind can taste saltier than the inner paste. Traditionally made in 1.5kg wheels (or thereabouts) and packaged in gold foil. Want to see the full story on how we make Cashel Blue®? Have a look at our step-by-step Cheesemaking guide.

The Story

Established in 1984, Cashel Blue® is the original Irish farmhouse cow’s milk blue cheese. Cashel Blue® is a unique creation of Jane and Louis Grubb. Developed at a time when softer blue cheeses were a rarity in the English speaking world, Cashel Blue® truly set the trend as an alternative to the traditional and stronger Blue Stilton. Cashel Blue® does not aim to be like any other blue cheese, instead representing a style of blue cheese reflective of the people and place from which it hails. You can read our full story in the History Timeline here…

The Name

Cashel Blue comes not only from a place rich in farmland, but also with history. Cashel Blue is named after our local historic site, The Rock of Cashel, which dates back almost a thousand years – to the 1100’s. Legend has it that it was here that Ireland’s patron saint (St. Patrick) began the conversion of the Irish to Christianity. The Rock of Cashel was where the kings of Munster reigned for centuries, and is an important monument in Europe of medieval and Celtic architecture and art. Cashel is quite centrally located in the southern half of Ireland and was and still is in some ways a crossroads of the country. The striking profile stands out and on a summer’s evening it’s quite a sight to behold from miles around! The Rock and in general Cashel is well worth a visit if you are coming to do our Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers Visitor Experience.

Cashel Blue® is sold exclusively in the USA as “Kerrygold Cashel Blue”. The typical age of Cashel Blue® on mainland Europe, North America and Australia is between 14-22 weeks of age.

Did you know we also make an Organic Cashel Blue? Click here to read more…

Here are our girls – the Cashel Blue Pedigree Herd coming in for milking. For more of these videos, please look at the Cheesemaking section.

Some Recent Awards:

• 2021 – Great Taste Awards – 2 Stars
• 2021 – Great Taste Awards – 1 Star
• 2021 – International Cheese Awards – Gold
• 2021 – International Cheese Awards – Bronze
• 2021 – Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards – Gold
• 2021 – Melton Mowbray Artisan Cheese Awards – Best Irish
• 2021 – Irish Cheese Awards – Gold
• 2021 – Blas Na hEireann – Silver
• 2020 – Great Taste Awards – 2 Stars
• 2020 – Great Taste Awards – 1 Star
• 2020 – Blas Na hEireann – Gold

View Full Awards List

Ingredients:

Pasteurised cow’s MILK, salt, rennet, starter cultures and Penicillum Roquefortii.

Allergy Advice:

Contains milk

Nutritional Information:

Typical values per 100g: