Blessed are the cheese makers for they have brought gongs
IT’S cheesy business in Macroom as two family run enterprises both won gongs at a prestigious Artisan Cheese Awards ceremony in England.
Coolea Extra Mature Cheese won the reserve supreme champion award for being named the best Irish cheese and its neighbour, Toons Bridge, won two silver and four bronze medals for their Italian style cheeses. Their mozzarella and stracchino nabbed silver and one of their caciocavallo got bronze as did their new vegetarian sheeps milk cheese that uses cardoon flower stamen to coagulate the milk instead of the more traditonal animal rennet.
Coolea cheese in Macroom was started in 1979 by Helene and Dick Willems and what started as a hobby quickly grew as so many people became so very fond of their cheese. Then in 1991, their son Dicky joined the crew and by 1993, he became the main cheesemaker. Coolea cheese is made from full cream cows milk and nothing is taken out and nothing is added.
The hard working family expanded their small enterprise and by 1987 a complete new cheese-plant was built including an air-conditioned storage system with a capacity of 15 tons and a production capacity of 25 tons.
Coolea Extra Matured has been winning awards since 1983 and was the supreme champion cheese at the British Cheese awards in 2000 and Best Mature Gouda at the World Cheese awards in 2008.
Toons Bridge Dairy was founded in 2009 when owners Toby Simmonds and Jenny Rose Clarke asked their neighbour to import a herd of Buffalo from Italy to milk on his farm. They have since diversified into working solely with local raw cow and sheep milk. Fresh milk is supplied to the diary from several local cow herds and Vincenzo La Manna’s local flock of sheep.
Toons Bridge Dairy work with raw cow and sheep milk to make over 12 varieties of mainly Southern Mediterranean style cheeses.
There were 25 Irish cheesemakers represented at the awards, which are open to British and Irish cheesmakers who produce less than 300 tonnes a year. Four of the 16 classes were won by Irish cheeses.