Waitrose launches first British cheese washed in English sparkling wine

Their Leckford Wash cheese is lovingly made by Nettlebed Creamery, a family run, organic farm in Henley-on-Thames, owned by Rose Grimond - which is on the family-run farm her great-grandfather bought in 1901. Their herd of cows produce organic milk which is used to create this delicious, creamy cheese.

Waitrose Leckford Sparkling Brut is added to a brine solution and each cheese is individually and carefully washed by hand. This process is repeated twice weekly to build the depth of flavour, texture and colour, creating a delicious rind which encases the creamy, semi-soft cheese. 

Sarah Miness, Cheese Buyer at Waitrose, said: “We’ve been selling our own label French cheese rind-washed in alcohol since 2013 when we launched Saint Vernier, washed in white wine followed by Berthaut's Epoisses AOP, washed in Marc de Bourgogne. 

"Being big supporters of British produce, we wanted to create a British rind-washed cheese, to offer our customers variety for their cheese boards and what better to wash the cheese in than our very own Leckford Sparkling Brut?”

Will Torrent, who is the Senior Development Chef at Waitrose, said: “We had fun with the team at Nettlebed experimenting with cheese and different flavour combinations. Wine and cheese is obviously always a winning combination and once we had tried with our fizz we were so excited with the finished product, obviously we wanted our customers to try it, too!

“This cheese takes a total of three weeks to make and everything is all done by hand, so you can be sure your cheese has been made with time, care and a little bit of love.  For the best results, customers should let the cheese soften up at room temperature, so the flavours and texture can develop and enjoy by itself, or for a real treat, eat it with a glass of Leckford to enhance the flavours even further.”

The tradition of washing cheeses originated back in the 16th century when French monks used the method to preserve their cheese, preventing bad rinds from developing.

Wine-washing is also common in Northern Italy, the lack of olive oil inspired cheesemakers to preserve wheels in wine instead, with Ubriaco al Prosecco being a traditional ‘drunken’ cheese in Italy. Rind-washing encourages the growth of desired, good bacteria and leads to a strong aroma and flavoursome cheese. 

English wine is still a relatively youthful industry compared to the rest of the world but others are also starting to experiment with the ingredient in their food with Waddesdon Wines putting English sparkling wine into their jam. Top chefs including James Martin have also made a classic dessert a bit more grown-up by adding it to jelly.

Waitrose has their own vineyard, at the Leckford Estate in Hampshire, which produces a Brut and a Blanc de Blanc from vines planted in 2009.  

They increased the vineyard at Leckford by 50% in 2017 to cope with increased demand, and it’s one of the ways they are firmly committed to investing in the future of English wines. 

They grow three grape varieties on their 4.7-hectare vineyard; Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. The grapes are turned into Leckford Estate Brut by the award-winning winemakers at the Ridgeview Wine Estate which is based in Sussex. The stunning Leckford Estate Brut has aromas of toasted brioche and hazelnuts, which give way to a creamy palate with apple and peach flavours.

Waitrose No.1 Leckford Wash Cheese (£6.50/150g) - available to buy in 281 shops and online from 26th July

Theyhold over a 40% market share in English wine and have the largest supermarket range of English and Welsh wines available to buy on Waitrose.com and Waitrose Cellar.

Nettlebed Creamery also produce Bix and Highmoor cheese which are available to buy at Waitrose as part of their No.1 range.

That's Food and Drink believe this cheese and wine will make excellent combinations for your Christmas cheeseboards.

www.waitrose.com