Description
Sheep Rustler Cheese
About Sheep Rustler
Sheep Rustler is a hard sheep’s milk cheese made by White Lake Cheese in Somerset. If you’ve already come across some of White Lake’s other cheeses, you’ll know they’re not afraid to experiment, and Sheep Rustler gives us something quite different from their softer cheeses.
It’s made using thermised sheep’s milk and matured to develop a firm but creamy texture, with a distinctive orange-brown rind.
And then there’s the name. Sheep Rustler was apparently named as a nod to Russell, one of White Lake’s original cheesemakers. With a sheep’s milk cheese, I suppose the opportunity was simply too good to miss.
A Champion Cheese
Sheep Rustler may be a relatively modern cheese, but it hasn’t taken long to make its mark.
In 2018, it was named Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards, beating around 1,000 other cheeses to take the top prize.
That’s quite an achievement for a relatively young cheese. It turns out you don’t need a recipe handed down through fourteen generations to make something brilliant.
Pierre may have been making cheese in his cave since 1437, but the newcomers are keeping him on his toes.
Sheep Rustler – Jen’s Tasting Notes
Sheep Rustler has a firm, smooth paste surrounded by a rustic orange-brown rind. Although it’s a semi-hard cheese, there’s still a lovely creaminess to the texture, particularly once you’ve given it enough time out of the fridge.
The flavour starts off quite mellow, with the natural sweetness I often associate with sheep’s milk. Then you get lovely nutty, savoury flavours coming through, followed by a gentle caramel sweetness.
There’s an earthier flavour towards the rind, so make sure you try the whole thing together rather than leaving the outside on the plate.
It’s a very easy cheese to keep going back to. There’s enough flavour to make it interesting without it ever becoming too much, and that combination of nuttiness, creaminess and sweetness works beautifully.
How to Serve and Pair Sheep Rustler
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it can come up to room temperature.
- Classic pairings: A crisp Chenin Blanc works really well. There’s enough acidity to balance the richness of the sheep’s milk while allowing those nutty, slightly sweet flavours to come through.
- Something a little different: I like this with a smoky whisky. The smoke against those slightly caramelised flavours in the cheese is a lovely combination.
- On the plate: Keep things fairly simple with good crusty bread, roasted nuts and perhaps a little honey.
- In the kitchen: Sheep Rustler melts beautifully, so it’s brilliant in a toastie or grated over roasted vegetables. But this is an award-winning cheese, so please taste some before you melt the lot!
Jen’s note: Sheep Rustler is made with thermised milk. Thermisation gently heats the milk, but to a lower temperature than pasteurisation. It reduces unwanted bacteria while retaining more of the milk’s original character. Think of it as somewhere between raw and pasteurised milk — a useful bit of cheese knowledge for the next time you spot “thermised” on a label!
Buying Sheep Rustler
- Brand or Producer: White Lake Cheese
- Product name: Sheep Rustler
- Milk: Sheep
- Country: England
- Region: Somerset
- Strength: Medium
- Vegetarian: Yes
- Suitable for pregnancy: Yes
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £5.00
- 400g wedge, £20.00
- Whole wheel (approx. 800g), £40.00
Storage Advice
- Keep refrigerated
- Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
- Remove from the fridge before serving
- Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening
Delivery and Collection
- UK wide courier delivery
- Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
- Free local delivery available for selected postcodes
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, starter cultures, vegetarian rennet
