Milk Muddle at the Dairy? And Sharpham Dairy Invent New Sharpham Rushmore Cheese!

Multi-award winning artisanal cheese maker Sharpham Dairy, is launching a brand new cheese. The new Sharpham Rushmore is a combination of two of its most popular cheeses, crumbly and delicate Ticklemore goat's cheese and the semi-hard Rustic cow's cheese, creating a slightly crumbly but velvety texture. It is available for £10.70 for 450g from www.sharphamcheese.co.uk. 

Sharpham Rushmore was serendipitously created when their goat's milk was mistakenly poured into the same tank as some cow's milk. 

Determined that they would not countenance any waste whatsoever, they decided that it was necessary to make some cheese with the milks that had become accidentally mixed. 

The team of cheesemakers continued to produce cheese with the mixed milk to see what it would taste like. Absolutely delighted with how the new cheese tasted they decided to call their newest invention-cum-discovery Sharpham Rushmore. 

So pleased were they with the resultant new cheese that they decided to package it up and trial it at the Powderham Food Festival 2021 to gauge the public's reaction. 

Of course, it was an instant hit, and Sharpham Rushmore was declared to be a triumph and the team knew they must make more of this fortuitous accidental cheese. 

So, what does it taste like? It has a refreshing acidity, Rushmore is rich and creamy in flavour with some subtle floral sweetness and a mice, lingering finish.

How can you serve it? It's a delicious conversation starter enjoyed on its own, or will be delicious as part of a cheeseboard, perhaps in a salad or crumbled over a ratatouille. 

It's said to be a sensation if paired with light-bodied, aromatic white and rose wines, like such a  sauvignon blanc or perhaps a well-chilled sparkling wine from Devon. (My personal favourite would be with a very hoppy West Coast IPA, but then I think a very hoppy West coast IPA is a perfect accompaniment for just about anything!)  

Greg Parsons from Sharpham Cheese, says: “When our farmer admitted he'd made a mistake in mixing the milks, we were intrigued to see what the results would taste like. 

Afterall, as Thomas Edison said, 'Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do, doesn't mean it's useless.' Many of the best cheeses have been made by a happy accident, and this new addition has been ever so well-received. We're thrilled and delighted to bring Rushmore to the market.” 

Cheese writer Patrick McGuigan, commented: “Crumbly like a Caerphilly but with a fudgy breakdown under the white rind, it's super rich and double creamy but with a refreshing tang of acidity. You don't see many mixed milk cheeses in the UK so this is quite an exciting new cheese!” 

He continued, “It's very nice on a cracker with Kampot fermented green peppercorns and a blob of apple and cider chutney. Creamy, sweet and spice - nice!”

As the UK's first cheese dairy to achieve a B Corp certification, Sharpham Dairy believes that cheese should be a force for good. They pride themselves on meeting the highest environmental impact standards, and the new Sharpham Rushmore was borne from their ethos of wasting as little as possible. Sharpham Dairy deliveries arrived packaged in recyclable and compostable packaging.

The full range of goats', cows' and sheeps' milk cheeses, as well as Sharpham Dairy's brand new crackers and chutneys are available from good cheesemongers and delis, and online. Visit www.sharphamcheese.co.uk / @SharphamCheese on social media. 

As an aside, we at That's Food and Drink think Sharpham Rushmore will be an excellent addition to your Christmas cheeseboard this year.