Speciality-Food-June-2025

specialityfoodmagazine.com 41 Try new Buffalo Halloumi Makers unite for collaboration The Buffalo Farm in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, has forayed into the world of grilling cheese, launching Buffalloumi. Fashioned on a halloumi-style recipe, it’s crafted using a blend of Scottish cow’s milk and creamy buffalomilk from their own herd of water buffalo. This twist, they say, brings extra depth and a luxuriously creamy texture to the mouthfeel of the cheese, which is at its best pan-fried or grilled, developing a golden crust and signature squeaky, soft centre. Like the maker’s Buffalo Mozzarella, Buffalloumi is made on-site at the dairy. Initially, it’s available as a catchweight product – the average block weighing 250-350g. The Buffalo Farm’s managing director, Steve Mitchell, said, “We are delighted to bring our new product to market, allowing buffalo milk and it’s benefits to be enjoyed by evenmore people. Buffalloumi is versatile, making it a great addition to summer menus up and down the country.” Charles Martell launches blue cheese The folk at Lincolnshire Poacher and Trethowan Brothers came together recently at The Kernal Brewery in London for a one-of-a-kind event – Poach-Fork – The Tasting. In the spirit of collaboration, teams from each cheesemaker swapped locations (but not recipes), making their signature cheeses on-site with their own starter cultures and methods, using the host’s milk and maturing environments. These cheeses were thenmatured for between one and two years, resulting in Lincolnshire Pitchfork Cheddar (made at Poacher’s Dairy by the Trethowan team) and Somerset Poacher (made by the Poacher’s Team at Trethowan’s Dairy). The tasting event, hosted by food writer PatrickMcGuigan, allowed attendees to explore and taste the experimental batches for the first time ever, reflecting on the nuanced impact of milk, microflora and maturing conditions. It was more than a simple dairy swap, they said – it was a statement about what’s possible when artisan producers step beyond tradition to learn, experiment and innovate. “We wanted to see what would happen when you take the essence of one cheese and place it in another landscape,” said Todd Trethowan, fromTrethowan Brothers. “It’s about curiosity, experimentation, and learning from each other.” TimJones fromLincolnshire Poacher added, “This is about curiosity and shared learning. We wanted to see howmuch of a cheese’s identity comes from recipe and culture– and howmuch comes from place, milk, and people.” The teams explained some of the challenges they faced in preparing and thenmaking their cheeses. Aspects such as size of vat, amount of milk, and starters used were generally expected to make a difference. More unexpected was the impact of the head cheesemakers in having to adapt and change their recipes and processes as the make progressed – something most would find challenging. Ben Ticehurst, dairymanager at Trethowan Brothers noted, “For cheesemakers, their own cheese is a testament to their knowledge, experience of many years and a rigid (some would even say obsessive) need to follow the established recipe. Here, decisions had to be made as the make progressed to accommodate the different milk, kit and environment, which gave us all a few uncomfortable moments!” What started as a fun challenge also stands as a testament to the dynamism of the British cheesemaking scene and its capacity for creativity through cooperation. The event highlighted the broader potential of collaboration within the artisan food world. There seems to be a lot of development in the blue cheese arena at the moment, and amongst the innovators is Stinking Bishop producer Charles Martell & Son, which has recently revealed Hulla Baloo. When first made, Charles said, the cheese was heralded with the words ‘helluva blue’, morphing into its final, commercial name. Charles (whose range also includes Single and Double Gloucester and Hereford Hop), said the cheese is “fresh” and “zesty”, taking those who try it on “a new flavour adventure”. Made in the heart of Gloucestershire, using traditional methods and the finest local milk, Hulla Baloo strikes a balance between being creamy and indulgent, and intensely tangy, while Annual SCA farm visit heads to Manor Farm The Specialist Cheesemakers Association is giving its members insight into low-input, organic, regenerative agriculture practices this month as part of its annual farm visit. Members are travelling to King Stone Dairy at Manor Farm in Chedworth, Gloucestershire, where David Jowett (whose cheese Burford recently won Supreme Champion at the 2025 British & Irish Cheese Awards) will play host. King Stone Dairy is a small operation with a strong focus on improving soil health and biodiversity through careful land management, while crafting artisanal cheeses by hand, using single herd organic cow’s milk, directly from the farm. Members will learn more about the set-up and facilities, and join in ‘cheese speed dating’. “It’s a nice social event,” a spokesperson said, adding that its just one of the benefits of joining the organisation, which is dedicated to championing British speciality cheeses. its marbled appearance, he adds, gives it presence on the cheeseboard. “Whether melted into a gourmet sauce, crumbled over a salad, or enjoyed on its own with our Poireau, Hulla Baloo is a showstopper that will delight both connoisseurs and the curious alike.”