Morrisons To Stock Monastery Cheese From Shepherds Purse

A traditional mould rinded, soft cow's milk cheese originating from Middle Age monks has been reproduced by artisan Yorkshire cheese makers Shepherds Purse of Thirsk and is now stocked nationally in Morrisons stores for Christmas. Award winning Monks Folly is introduced to Morrisons Christmas range and the supermarket will also stock the company's latest innovation, Bells Bluemin White, across all Yorkshire stores.

Many washed and mould rinded cheeses can be traced back to the monastic orders during the Middle Ages and were sometimes referred to as monastery cheeses. The monks spent a great deal of time and effort developing these cheeses and the Bell family have now discovered a recipe they have adapted for modern palettes to create Monks Folly.

The art of traditional cheese making was thought to have been handed down by the monks and it has inspired Shepherds Purse Cheeses on more than one occasion. Monks Folly is the third cheese they have created using monastic recipes.

Commenting on the cheese, Katie Matten, managing director of Shepherds Purse Cheeses said: "Luckily for us, monks in European monasteries revived the practice of cheese making during the Middle Ages. As true researchers and innovators, monks greatly improved cheese ripening and ageing techniques. They are credited with delivering milder tasting cheeses like Brie and Camembert, as well as many classic varieties marketed today. We are delighted to have secured a national listing with Morrisons and hope it is well received by shoppers. Forget the usual suspects for the Christmas cheeseboard this year and try a cheese that is seeped in history."

Bells Bluemin White, the first cheese created by Judy's eldest daughter, Katie, is handmade with locally sourced cow's milk and has been carefully matured in the company's dedicated ripening store. The region's first blue rind brie cheese is hand turned everyday to achieve the best mould ripening, which results in a luxurious texture and delicate, yet complex flavour.

Jenny Dixon, Morrisons cheese buyer commented "At Morrisons we are always looking to discover great tasting, great value cheeses and we are delighted to introduce Monks Folly and Bells Bluemin White to our Christmas line up. These two award winning, traditionally handcrafted cheeses produced by the Bell family at their Yorkshire dairy offer the excellent quality our customers expect with a real story behind them."

(EDITOR: First stop, Morrisons, then!)