Introduction to Cheese Products
All Knockdrinna Cheese Products are made from quality milk produced on Ireland’s lush green pastures. Our cheese contains- Milk, Rennet, Culture and Salt – that’s it no preservatives, no additives, no colourings, no hormones, no artificial flavours, no antibiotics.
Knockdrinna Kilree Goats Cheese
Kilree is the newest addition to our range of goats cheeses. Beneath its fine orange slightly sticky, leathery rind is a smooth, pale ivory interior that breaks rather than crumbles into large flakes . The flavours are complex yet well balanced hinting of almonds and marzipan. British Cheese Awards Supreme Champion 2011.
Knockdrinna Gold Goats Cheese
Gold Medal SHOP International Cheese Awards 2007 Silver Medal British Cheese Awards 2006 & 2007 & 2008. Knockdrinna Gold is a semi hard goats milk cheese with a beautiful golden rind, which is developed naturally by washing the rind with an organic white wine wash. It has a creamy texture and a smoked nutty flavour with a hint of pepper when mature. Gold Medal SHOP International Cheese Awards 2007 Silver Medal British Cheese Awards 2006 & 2007 & 2008.
Knockdrinna Meadow Sheeps Cheese
Knockdrinna Meadow is a semi hard sheeps milk cheese. Washing the rind with an organic white wine wash develops a beautiful pink rind naturally. Subtle caramel and nutty flavours are developed while maturing which become more robust when older. The cheese has often been described as having a hint of roast lamb. Best New Cheese & Gold British Cheese Awards 2007, Gold British Cheese Awards 2008, Silver British Cheese Awards 2008, Gold Medal and Best New Cheese SHOP International Cheese Awards 2007.
Lavistown Cheese
Lavistown cheese is one of Ireland’s oldest and most established farmhouse cheeses. Knockdrinna cheese was delighted to have the opportunity to take over the production of Lavistown cheese in Jan 2008. Lavistown cheese is a semi hard traditional English caerphilly style cheese. It is made with pasteurized cow’s milk with some of the cream taken off before production. Its flavour is tangy when young and develops richer more cheddar like flavours as it matures. Gold & Best Irish Gold & Best Irish – British Cheese Awards 2008.
Knockdrinna Snow
Knockdrinna Snow is firm when young with citrus flavours. Softening from the outside into the centre, the cheese develops stronger more complex flavours as it matures which melt on the mouth.The cheese has a bloomy white penicillin rind which has the appearance of soft snow, hence the name “ Knockdrinna Snow”. Best New Cheese Irish National Cheese Awards 2007, Bronze British Cheese Awards 2007.
Knockdrinna Fresh Pesto with Goats Cheese.
This product developed when Knockdrinna started out in farmers markets first and had not enough variety of cheese to sell, but we had lots of basil in our garden that year and so we developed this product. Now it has become one of our most popular products.It is made twice a week with fresh basil leaves, Knockdrinna Gold goat cheese, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. It has no additives or preservative of any kind and keeps fresh for a month once kept refrigerated and topped up with olive oil.
Red Pepper Relish
We developed this product, particularly, as an accompaniment to our Knockdrinna Snow, as we discovered in our own experiments at home in the kitchen that red pepper and soft goats cheese are a particularly good combination.
Fresh Goats Cheese with Basil Oil
Knockdrinna Fresh Goats cheese is our crumbly goats cheese with basil oil. It is an ideal salad cheese, or can be put on baguette and grilled for a handy lunch.
Knockdrinna Fresh Goat Log
Knockdrinna Fresh Goat Log is a crumbly tangy cheese, ideal for crumbling into salads or onto a pizza.
Knockdrinna Greek Style Salad Cheese
Knockdrinna Greek Style Cheese.Silver Medal Winner-Irish National Cheese Awards 2007, Bronze medal-World Cheese Awards 2008. Knockdrinna Greek Style Cheese is matured for a minimum of 2 months and is like no other cheese you have tasted. It has great depth of flavour which sets it apart from other salad cheeses.We were particularly chuffed to win a medal for this cheese at the world cheese awards where it competed against all of the Greek cheeses.
- Our Sheep’s Milk
Our Sheep’s milk is produced by Henry Clifton Brown on the limestone pastures just outside Cashel Co Tipperary. The milk is from the Friesian herd of dairy goats and is produced from March to September when the sheep feed on the rich green pastures.
- Qualities of Sheep’s Milk
Sheep’s milk is highly nutritious, higher in vitamins AB & E and calcium, phosphorus and potassium and magnesium than cow’s.The have a higher proportion of short chain fatty acids which have recognised health benefits. Short chain fatty acids have little effect on cholesterol levels in people, they make it easier to digest.
- Our Cow’s Milk
Our cow’s milk comes from the farm of PJ Byrne and his brother Seamus. The Byrnes milk a herd of Friesan/Holstein cows just half a mile from our own farm. Once again, the lush grass lands of the Byrnes farm play a huge part in the quality of cheese we are able to produce. The Byrnes have built up their herd over the past number of years and pay particular attention to getting the best proportions of protein and fat solids in the milk. This makes it particularly good for cheese making and Lavistown cheese has developed well using this milk.
