Best Blue Cheese at the 2024 Artisan Cheese Awards.

Barkham Blue is a semi-soft blue cheese made using pasteurised Guernsey milk and vegetarian rennet. Moulded into a distinctive ammonite-shaped round, it is salted in brine before being pierced to introduce oxygen, a crucial step in its maturation. Over the next 4–5 weeks, this oxygen allows the blue mould cultures to flourish. As a result, Penicillium roqueforti spreads through the pierced “veins”, giving the cheese its signature blue marbling.

The greyish-blue rind develops naturally, creating a delicate balance of earthy, slightly bitter notes on the rind which contrast beautifully with the rich, buttery paste beneath. As the cheese matures, the paste just beneath the rind softens, enhancing the luscious, creamy mouthfeel. The blue veining brings a measured sharpness that doesn’t overwhelm the luxurious, golden paste, allowing a buttery sweetness to shine through.

The texture is smooth and indulgent, thanks to the high butterfat content of Guernsey milk. This milk also contributes to the cheese’s distinctive golden hue, as Guernsey cows naturally pass on more carotene from their grass-fed diet. The result is a cheese that is as visually striking as it is complex in flavour—decadently creamy, delicately blue, and utterly moreish.

Vegetarian. Pasteurised.

Weights will vary due to the cheeses being handmade.