Price range: £5.60 through £33.60
An unusual Yorkshire blue made with goat’s milk, combining fresh, creamy tanginess with savoury blue veins and a gentle peppery warmth.
Ribblesdale Blue Goat is a rather unusual British blue. Most of the blue cheeses we sell are made with cow’s or sheep’s milk, so finding one made entirely with goat’s milk immediately makes things more interesting.
It’s made by Ribblesdale Cheese in Yorkshire and combines the fresh, slightly tangy character of goat’s milk with the savoury, peppery flavours of blue mould. The result is creamy and full of flavour, but still much lighter and fresher than some of the bigger, richer blues.
Ribblesdale Cheese takes its name from the beautiful Yorkshire dale where the business began. It’s a relatively modern addition to Britain’s cheesemaking story and a lovely example of just how much variety there is in British blue cheese once you venture beyond Stilton.
Ribblesdale Blue Goat is made with pasteurised goat’s milk. Blue mould cultures are added during cheesemaking and, once the cheeses have formed, they are pierced to allow oxygen inside. This gives the mould the conditions it needs to develop those distinctive blue-green veins.
As it matures, the cheese develops a pale ivory paste with blue running throughout. The texture is creamy and yielding rather than particularly crumbly, becoming softer as it comes up to room temperature.
And visually I love it — there’s something rather lovely about those blue veins against the naturally pale goat’s milk cheese.
The first thing I notice about Ribblesdale Blue Goat is how fresh it tastes for a blue cheese.
You get the creamy milkiness first, followed by that distinctive goat’s milk tang. Then the blue arrives, bringing savoury, earthy flavours and a lovely peppery warmth.
It’s that combination that makes the cheese so interesting. The goat’s milk gives it brightness and acidity while the blue adds depth, without becoming overwhelmingly salty or powerful.
If you think all blue cheeses are heavy and full-on, this is a really interesting one to try. Equally, if you’re not normally convinced by goat’s cheese, the blue gives you something completely different to concentrate on.
Jen’s note: Blue goat’s cheese isn’t something you come across every day, which is precisely why I like putting this one in front of people. If you think you don’t like blue cheese AND you think you don’t like goat’s cheese, admittedly this might look like a rather brave place to start. But you might just surprise yourself!
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, vegetarian rennet, starter cultures, Penicillium Roqueforti
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.
