Wine & Cheese Selection

Manufacturer and Tasting Notes

• Cotes du Rhone Chemin des Papes Appellation Cotes du Rhone Controlee 2005

  Cotes du Rhone Chemin des Papes Appellation Cotes du Rhone Controlee 2005 :

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  This blend of the grape varieties Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan has produced a full and soft wine, with good fruit flavours and a touch of soft french oak. This is a smooth and easy-drinking red ideal with red meats or cheeses.

• Barber's

  Barber's:

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  The Barber family have been farming since the early 1800's in Ditcheat, a village within Somerset’s ‘Golden Triangle’, an area at the eastern end of the county where the combination of climate, soil type and rich grassland has traditionally produced the finest cheddars in the world.

  Initially the milk was sold from the farm and cheese was just made to feed the family and farm workers. As time passed it proved more beneficial to make cheese than to sell milk and soon Barbers were buying milk from other nearby farms as well as using all their own milk to make cheese. In the 1950's as a result of family links with Wales, manufacture concentrated heavily on producing Caerphilly wheels for the Welsh mining community.

  Today the company has returned to producing West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, which is the focus of the business, and has continued to expand the farm along side, which now includes milking around 1700 dairy cows.

  Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar is matured for two years, rather than the usual 16 or 18 months. Critics have repeatedly praised its deep, complex flavour, its pleasing acidity and its long, satisfying finish.

  Although, where possible much of Barber’s production has been mechanised the essential cheddaring process (the turning of the curd), is still done by hand - essential, the family believes, for quality control.

  In addition to the 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar Barber’s sells a wide range of cheddars under the Maryland and Haystack brands.

  Barber’s natural starter cultures are also supplied to other eminent Somerset cheesemakers, including Montgomery’s, Keen’s and Westcombe.

• Cranborne Chase Cheese

  Cranborne Chase Cheese:

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  Having experimented with cheese making since 2002, Cranborne Chase Cheese began producing the fine quality cheeses commercially in 2004.

  
  Cranborne Chase Cheese is part of the Manor Farm situated in the hilltop village of Ashmore, which has been owned by the same family since the 18th Century.  All the cheeses are hand made and named after local landmarks in and around Ashmore.

  
  Cheese-making started experimentally in 2002 but it was not until November 2004 that the operation was turned into a long term commercial venture. The Cheese is made in formerly redundant farm buildings owned by the Manor Farm that have been converted to the required standards. All these cheeses are made with the unpasteurised milk from a single herd of cows.

• Vineyard Fine Foods (Bromleys)

  Vineyard Fine Foods (Bromleys):

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  Meticulously cooked for several hours in open pans, Vineyard Fine Foods produce an exquisite range of truly British relishes, jellies, chutneys and jams.

  Where possible, everything is made from locally sourced products and is free from artificial additives and gluten.

  An ideal accompaniment to cold meats and cheeses, perfect for sandwiches or simply stir into gravy for a touch of added spice.