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White Lake Cheese

Few wouldn’t rank White Lake among the cheese world’s top innovators.

Small breed Animal Goat, Cow, Sheep
Creamery Single herd
Farm made Traditional method

Lesser cheesemakers would require convalescence after a week trying to manage a dairy with twenty-eight unique recipes to its repertoire, but Peter Humphries and Roger Longman have crafted a business that pairs inventive cheesemaking and high-grade milk to produce a consistency unsurpassed from a range so broad.

Roger grew up at Bagborough Farm on the eastern tip of the Somerset Levels, verdant pastureland synonymous with cheddar production. Even though his parents and grandparents made the area’s signature cheese, it held little interest for Roger. Instead he started a career in engineering, only returning to the farm after cheddar production had ceased due to the commercial pressures of the block cheddar market. The farm retained the dairy cows for milk, but the cheesemaking renaissance began with goat’s milk when, in 2001, Roger introduced a small herd to the farm. His uncle made a little cheese but the White Lake business partnership got underway in 2004 when Roger met Peter, a former cheesemaker at Bath Soft Cheese.

The desire to innovate was there from the outset, Peter deciding to create cheeses that were little seen in the UK. It was trial and error at first, ‘working by feel’ to no strict recipe, at first allowing each cheese its seasonal expressions due to the fluctuation in milk composition. The pair trialled each new cheese at farmers’ markets, only approaching wholesalers when they felt they really ‘understood’ the cheese. From this point they could work in harmony with the milk and tweak the recipe throughout the year to produce consistently high quality.

Expansion in 2008 drew Roger into dairy duties, the variety having kindled a passion absent for cheddar making. The dairy now has 800 goats producing milk for 85% of the cheese that White Lake makes. It arrives in the dairy warm from the barns and is processed unpasteurised with minimal handling to retain the delicate sweet-milk character of the cheeses. Although the farm’s cows have moved on, White Lake buys in a little Guernsey cow milk, as well as sheep’s milk, from local farms for some of its cheeses.

The organic and self-confessed ‘chaotic’ nature of their business belies a firm understanding of what constitutes success in the artisan cheese world: originality and quality derived from a purity of source milk. Having mastered this, the pair can concentrate on consistency and allow the flow of awards themselves to promote and market the range all it needs.

This is one of 88 cheesemakers included in Gimblett’s Guide to the Best of British Cheese, due to be published June 2020.

Eve

A cider-washed, vine wrapped creation that allows the fresh creamy paste to the fore with grass, citrus and a gently goaty rice pudding note, with mushrrom and vine-herbal notes towards the rind. Outstanding.

Rich sparkling, aromatic whites, medium bodied reds, off-dry cider & ale.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 125g
Shape Small Drum
Age at release 3 weeks
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Goat
Style Soft, Vine Leaf Wrapped

Somerset Solstice

A subtle and three-tiered cheese with a lighly saline, singed cream and citrus core, chanterelle mushroom creamy under-rind and a nutmeg spice and winged game rind. Outstanding.

Off dry sparkling, medium bodied whites, medium bodied reds, off dry cider & session ale.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 220g
Shape Small Drum
Age at release 4 weeks
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Cow
Style Soft Washed-rind

Driftwood

An even lactic core with elegant goat milk, citrus and parsley notes, turning to fresh apple and mushroon on the rind. Outstanding.

Sparkling, crisp whites, chilled light reds, dry ciders, citric ales.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 215g
Shape Log
Age at release 3 weeks
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Goat
Style Soft Lactic

Tor

A moreish smooth-pasted cheese with clean lime, cream and fresh grass flavours at the core, richening towards the rind with notes of toasted mushroom. Outstanding.

Sparkling, crisp whites, chilled light reds, dry ciders, citric ales.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 200g
Shape Truncated-pyramid
Age at release 3 weeks
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Goat
Style Soft Lactic

Pave Cobble

A ripe parcel of lanolin scented lemon, mixed herb and gently saline cream at the core with an intreaguing basket of mixed mushroom on the rind. Outstanding.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 200g
Shape Truncated-pyramid
Age at release 3 weeks
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Sheep
Style Soft Lactic

Rachel

Delicate rind with a range of musk and dry earth notes not to be missed. On the palate a variety of flavours eminates from the semi-hard crumble: fresh grass, milled seed, rice pudding and caramel, strengthening towards the rind with died meat and trompette de mort flavours. Exceptional.

Off dry sparkling, medium bodied whites, medium bodied reds, off dry cider & session ale.

Wholesalers and cheesemongers countrywide. See web for details.

Weight 2kg
Shape Ammonite
Age at release 3 months
Small breed
Single herd
Rennet Vegetarian
Animal Goat
Style Semi-hard, Washed-rind