Description
Old Winchester Cheese
About Old Winchester
Old Winchester is one of those cheeses that proves a brilliant cheese doesn’t need several hundred years of history behind it.
Made at Lyburn Farm on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, it’s a hard, long-matured cow’s milk cheese with a dense, brittle texture, plenty of crunchy crystals and masses of savoury flavour.
Its roots lie in Dutch-style cheesemaking, but after 18 to 24 months of maturation it becomes something quite different: nutty, slightly sweet, deeply savoury and packed with umami.
And there’s another reason we love it.
Old Winchester is made with vegetarian rennet, making it a brilliant British alternative when a recipe calls for one of those famous Italian hard cheeses that traditionally isn’t vegetarian.
From Falling Milk Prices to Great Cheese
The story of Old Winchester begins at Lyburn Farm, where the Smales family have been dairy farming since the 1960s.
When milk prices began falling, Mike and Judy Smales decided that rather than simply selling their milk, perhaps they could turn some of it into cheese.
So they went on a cheesemaking course.
Which is the sort of decision that can get rather out of hand.
Rather than making another Cheddar, they looked towards Dutch cheesemaking for inspiration and began experimenting with Gouda-style cheeses.
One of their earlier cheeses, Lyburn Gold, was relatively soft. But when they allowed the cheese to mature for longer, something interesting happened. It became firmer, more savoury and increasingly complex.
Winchester followed.
And when Winchester was left for even longer, Old Winchester appeared.
Sometimes you’ve just got to leave the cheese alone and see what happens.
Made Slowly With Care
Old Winchester is made with pasteurised cow’s milk and vegetarian rennet and matured for around 16 months.
Its make has its roots in Gouda-style cheesemaking, including washing the curds, but it’s the long maturation that really creates the cheese we know.
As moisture disappears and the cheese matures, its texture becomes harder and more brittle, its flavours concentrate and those lovely little crunchy crystals begin to develop.
By the time it’s ready, Old Winchester bears very little resemblance to a young Gouda.
It’s very definitely become its own cheese.
Old Winchester – Jen’s Tasting Notes
Old Winchester is firm, dense and brittle, and I love finding those little crunchy crystals scattered through the paste.
The flavour starts with a gentle caramelised sweetness and nuttiness before becoming increasingly savoury. There’s a lovely tang, plenty of saltiness and a deep umami character that lingers long after you’ve swallowed it.
It’s one of those cheeses where breaking off a little chunk somehow leads to breaking off another.
And another.
There’s enough sweetness to keep all that savoury intensity beautifully balanced, which is why I think Old Winchester works so well both on a cheeseboard and in the kitchen.
How to Serve and Pair Old Winchester
- 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: I love it with an oaked Chardonnay. The buttery, slightly toasty character of the wine works beautifully with the cheese’s nutty, caramelised flavours.
- Something a little different: Tawny Port is a classic sort of match for a cheese like this, with plenty of sweetness against all that salty umami.
- On the plate: Break it into chunks rather than worrying about perfect slices. Add a few dried figs or apricots and some almonds or walnuts and you’re pretty much done.
- In the kitchen: This is where Old Winchester really earns its keep. Grate it over pasta, risotto, soup or roasted vegetables anywhere you’d normally reach for Parmigiano Reggiano. Because it’s made with vegetarian rennet, it’s particularly useful when you’re cooking for vegetarians.
Jen’s note: I love the fact that Old Winchester looks and tastes as though it might have come from somewhere in northern Italy, but it’s actually made on a family farm in Hampshire. Even better, because it’s made with vegetarian rennet, it’s become something of a secret weapon for vegetarian cooks. Sometimes the answer to an Italian cheese problem is apparently hiding in the New Forest.
Buying Old Winchester
- Brand or Producer: Lyburn Cheese
- Product name: Old Winchester
- Milk: Cow
- Country: England
- Region: Hampshire
- Strength: Medium to strong
- Vegetarian: Yes
- Suitable for pregnancy: Yes
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £3.55
- 500g wedge, £17.75
- Whole wheel (approx. 4kg), available to pre-order
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
