Recall for Christmas hamper cheeses after E. coli warning

FOUR British cheeses commonly found in Christmas hampers and on festive charcuterie boards have been recalled over the possibility of contamination with the potentially fatal bacteria E. coli.

Mrs Kirkham’s, an award-winning cheesemaker from Lancashire, makes its product in Goosnargh and is the only place in the world to still make raw milk

Lancashire cheese. An alert from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) was sent out in the early hours of Christmas Day warning that there was a possibility that four products contained E. coli.

A recall notice was issued for Mrs Kirkham’s Mild and Creamy Lancashire, Mrs Kirkham’s Tasty Lancashire, Mrs Kirkham’s Mature Lancashire and Mrs Kirkham’s Smoked Lancashire.

“The cheeses are sometimes sold as a full block or served as individual portions and may have been provided as part of a hamper you’ve purchased or been gifted,” the FSA said.

People with a charcuterie board or hamper of unknown provenance are encouraged to not eat the food and check with the retailer to see if it is safe.

The cheese should be wrapped up and kept away from other foods. The recall is precautionary and the presence of E. coli is suspected and not yet confirmed. The notice applies to any of the named products purchased since Oct 1. The FSA said the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), which is thought to contaminate the cheeses, could be fatal.

Symptoms caused by STEC organisms include severe diarrhoea (including bloody diarrhoea), abdominal pain, and sometimes a kidney condition called haemolytic uremic syndrome that can lead to kidney failure and cause death if untreated.

Some people are at higher risk, including over-65s, pregnant women and their unborn babies, babies less than one month old, and people with weakened immune systems.

The cheese made in the Preston district is from raw milk and unpasteurised so it has not been treated and heated in a deliberate way to kill off bacteria. John and Ruth Kirkham set up the business in 1978 in an old piggery and the family-owned business has grown to a herd of around 100 Holstein Friesian cows.

Graham Kirkham, a third-generation cheesemaker and son of Ruth, says on the company’s website: “Our Lancashire cheese is made with raw milk from our own herd of Holstein Friesian cows. Using raw milk means that it hasn’t been pasteurised [i.e. heat treated] and this is key to making traditional Lancashire cheese.”

E. coli can get into cheese from the cow that made the milk as it is carried in bovine intestines. Contamination of the teats can lead to trickle-down contamination. The FSA said people who have purchased the product should store it safely, fully wrapped and ensure it is not in contact with other foods. The product can be returned to where it was bought from for a full refund.

People receiving hampers with unlabelled cheeses who are unsure if they have an affected product have been instructed to contact the retailer that sold the cheese to find out if they have an item from the concerned batch. In the meantime, do not eat the product and ensure it is stored safely, fully wrapped and not in contact with other foods,” the FSA said.

Mrs Kirkham’s was approached for comment.

‘Do not eat the product and ensure it is stored safely, wrapped and not in contact with other foods’