Our Christmas orders are now closed. You can still buy our Cheese Subscriptions to start in January, as well as book our courses and tasting events. If you want to purchase vouchers you can do so until the 20th December but please note that it can take up to 48 hours for the vouchers to be emailed to you as we process these manually.
We have a full counter of cheese in our shop in Pangbourne so you can still come in and purchase items in store
Price range: £4.40 through £26.40
Rachel’s gentle sweetness and subtle complexity make it a real crowd-pleaser, especially if you like goat’s cheese but want something softer and less punchy than a French chèvre. The regular brine washes help create a rind that’s as colourful as it is tasty, adding savoury notes without taking away from the sweet, nutty centre.
Rachel is a multi-award-winning artisan goat’s cheese from White Lake Cheese, near Glastonbury in Somerset. It’s one of those cheeses that really stands out. It’s never too tangy or “goaty” like some, but instead sweet, gentle, and well-balanced. No wonder it’s found fans well beyond Somerset!
White Lake Cheese has really made a name for itself since 2004, but the Longman family has been making cheese on the farm since the 1930s. When Roger Longman decided to try his hand at goat’s milk, things took a creative turn. The goats, Toggenburg, British Alpine, and Saanen, graze on Somerset’s wildflower meadows, and you can really taste that sense of place in every cheese.
Rachel quickly became the star of the show at White Lake. She is versatile, eye-catching, and has picked up plenty of awards along the way, including several Super Golds at the World Cheese Awards. I love its inviting look, that speckled washed rind, and the flavour that’s both easy-going and deeply satisfying.
Rachel is made from goat’s milk and aged for at least 12 weeks. While it’s ripening, it gets regular brine washes, which help create that lovely rind – sometimes pale, sometimes a deeper brown, with the odd orange or yellow speckle. This is what gives Rachel its distinctive look, texture, and aroma.
Washed rinds are usually something you find on cow’s milk cheeses like Munster, so it’s a bit unusual to see it on a goat’s cheese. The result? Rachel is firm but still supple, rich and smooth, some say it’s a bit like a very young Gouda, but I think it is so much more than that.
Underneath its rind, there’s a creamy, pale ivory centre that’s both supple and substantial, and it melts beautifully on the tongue. The aroma is gentle and milky, with a hint of flowers from those Somerset fields and a little earthiness from the rind. It’s not at all overpowering, so it plays nicely with other cheeses on a board. I always pick up sweet, mellow notes, with a gentle nuttiness that lingers in the mouth. There’s a little citrus lift and a warm, biscuity note that keeps things interesting, but it never gets too “goaty.” The washed rind brings just enough savoury depth without getting too funky.
The texture is firm but smooth and nearly creamy, especially if you let it come up to room temperature.
Jen’s note: Rachel is named after a friend of the cheesemaker, who was described as “sweet, curvy and slightly nutty”, which, as it turns out, fits the cheese perfectly too.
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, starter cultures, vegetarian rennet
Normal opening Monday – Saturday 9am – 4pm until:
Sunday 22nd 9am – 4pm
Monday 23rd 9am – 4pm
Christmas Eve 9am – 12pm
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day Closed
Friday 27th Closed
Saturday 28th 9am – 4pm
Sunday 29th Closed
Monday 30th 9am – 2pm
Tuesday 31st 9am – 2pm
New Year’s Day Closed
Thursday 2nd January Closed
Friday 3rd 9am – 4pm then open as normal
After Christmas our courier delivery slots start from 8th January.
