Cheese Buyer - May 2025

17 XXXXXXXXXXX AMERICAN CHEESE specialityfoodmagazine The cows eat only fresh pasture from springtime through to autumn, supplemented with quality grain while they’re being milked, which is seasonal and doesn’t take place in winter months. Pleasant Ridge Reserve, “is an Alpine style cheese with an amazing savoury flavour, combined with a rich, fruity finish,” says Jen. PRAIRIE BREEZE CHEDDAR , MILTON CREAMERY, IOWA Prairie Breeze was Kyra’s ‘aha’ moment. “That cheese for me was where I started to begin to understand it was more than just a product. It’s a delicious Cheddar that has a sweetness to it. It’s awesome.” The dairy’s milk is sourced from farms within a 30-mile radius – all small, and family run, with an emphasis on putting the cows to pasture, where they forage on grasses and legumes. AFTERGLOW, BLAKESVILLE CREAMERY, WISCONSIN “This is a goat operation, really focused on sustainability and climate change,” says Kyra. “Moving their production from cows to goats helped to lessen their bloomy rind, triple cream cheese I’ve ever tasted,” says Jen. PLEASANT RIDGE RESERVE, UPLANDS CHEESE, WISCONSIN Based at the top of Pleasant Ridge in Southwestern Wisconsin, this dairy grazes its cows across 500 acres of diverse grassland, moving them daily to ensure the continued health of the land and increase biodiversity. impact on the environment and the cheesemaking process. Every cheese tastes amazing. Afterglow is a favourite from this maker, which started production during 2020, crafting by hand, and ripening naturally in a state-of-the- art creamery. It’s one of eight in the overall range and is a washed-rind, lactic variety inspired by French Langres, finished with a wash in cherry ale, which brings a clean, fruity minerality to the taste. TREEHUGGER, PERRYSTEAD DAIRY, PHILADELPHIA “This is an urban cheesemaker in the heart of the city,” says Kyra. “People thought the owner was a bit nuts when he came up with the idea, but now he’s getting all sorts of accolades for his innovative thinking – he even has a cheese vending machine! It’s amazing you can now get beautiful, delicious artisan cheese from a vending machine in Philly!” Treehugger is the maker’s seasonal cheese, available from November to May. It’s made with the enzymes of thistle and lady’s bedstraw flowers and belted with spruce bark, which imparts an earthiness. The texture is fudgy, buttery and spoonable. BAY BLUE, POINT REYES FARMSTEAD CHEESE, CALIFORNIA Kyra loves this all-female cheesemaking company, which puts sustainability first. The farm runs off methane-powered renewable energy, water is conserved with a reuse and recycle programme, and a great deal of work goes into ensuring the health of the soil and animals. The family produces 12 cheeses, and Bay Blue is one of their best known. Rustic, mellow and sweet with a hint of salted caramel and a natural rind, it’s a local cheeseboard favourite. MELINDA MAY, MYSTIC CHEESE, CONNECTICUT This maker, says Kyra, looks to UK styles and traditions to model his cheeses. “He has a lot of love and passion for cheeses made in England, and natural rind styles.” The Gray is his homage to Cheshire cheese, being crumbly, creamy and savoury, with a touch of acidity.