''J&L Grubb'' is an
Irish cheese manufacturer, making cows' milk and goats' milk cheeses on their farm near
Fethard, South Tipperary.
History
In 1984, the Grubbs began to make around eight Cashel Blue cheeses at their farm from the milk of their own herd of Holstein-Friesian cows. Originally the cheese was produced using an old 90-litre copper brewer's vat and sold in local shops and markets.
In 1991, the Grubbs were joined by Guert Van den Dikkenberg who became their head cheesemaker.
In 1993, Henry Brown, a nephew of Louis Grubb, began to make blue cheese from sheep's milk but it wasn't until 1999 that the cheese was manufactured in commercial quantities at Grubb's facilities.
Types
Cashel Blue
Cashel Blue is a hand-made, semi-soft, mildly blue veined and slightly acidic
blue cheese with a creamy
texture
Texture may refer to:
Science and technology
* Surface texture, the texture means smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object
* Texture (roads), road surface characteristics with waves shorter than road roughness
* Texture (c ...
, made from cows milk. Over half the milk used in the production of Cashel Blue comes from their own farm, with the rest sourced from farms located nearby.
[Official site of Cashel Blue](_blank)
/ref> The cheese was named after the Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel ( ga, Carraig Phádraig ), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historic site located at Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.
History
According to local legends, the Rock of Cashel originated in the ...
overlooking the pastures close to the farm. It has large blue flecks, made by the action of ''Penicillium roqueforti
''Penicillium roqueforti'' is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus ''Penicillium''. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants.
The major industrial use of this fungus is the production of blue ...
'', the same fungus used in Roquefort
Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur ...
, Stilton
Stilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about north of Huntingdon in Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England.
History
There is evidence of Neo ...
, and other blue cheeses.
Crozier Blue
Crozier Blue is a hand-made, semi-soft, blue-veined, medium-strength blue cheese with a creamy texture. Made in Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, this is one of the country's few blue cheeses, made from sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
's milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
. It is made on the farm of Jane and Louis Grubb by their daughter Sarah Furno. Crozier Blue is a more recent creation from the farm which produces a sister cheese Cashel Blue cheese
Cashel (an Anglicised form of the Irish language word ''Caiseal'', meaning "stone fort") may refer to:
Places in Ireland
*Cashel, County Tipperary
**The Rock of Cashel, an ancient, hilltop fortress complex for which Cashel is named
**Archbishop ...
made using cow's milk.
Awards
Cashel Blue is widely acclaimed and has won numerous awards. The highlights are:
* 1993: First (Blue Cheese Class ) Royal Dublin Society Farmhouse Cheese Competition
* 1998: Silver, Ireland's International Cheese Awards
* 2000: Gold, British Cheese Awards
* 2001: Gold, World Cheese Awards
* 2002: Bronze, World Cheese Awards
* 2004: Bronze, British Cheese Awards
* 2004: Gold, Listowel Food Fair, National Farmhouse Cheese Competition (Ireland)
* 2005: Bronze British Cheese Awards
* 2006: Gold, World Cheese Awards
* 2009: Gold, Bronze, World Cheese Awards
* 2010: Gold, World Cheese Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:JandL Grubb
Irish cheeses
Blue cheeses