Cheese Maker Launches Easter Gift Box With Yorkshire Blue Chocolates

A Yorkshire cheese maker has launched the ultimate Easter gift for chocolate and cheese lovers! Shepherds Purse Cheeses of Thirsk is offering an Easter Gift Box-with-a-difference, showcasing 4 of its award-winning, traditionally handmade cheeses and Yorkshire Blue cheese and biscuit chocolates, courtesy of York Cocoa House, based in the chocolate city of York.

The Gift Box, RRP £15, is a cheesy alternative to the Easter Egg present and a fabulous find for foodies and offers both cow's and ewe's milk cheeses, including 180g Yorkshire Blue, 125g Yorkshire Fettle, 125g Monks Folly and 180g Mrs Bells Blue cheese.

The box incorporates a gift bag containing 4 chocolates handmade by the York Cocoa House from their Yorkshire Chocolate Collection, featuring 2 Yorkshire Blue cheese and biscuits chocolates. The dark chocolate coated truffles, created using the soft and creamy champion blue cheese with fine Belgian milk chocolate, deliver a delicious combination of savoury and sweet, creamy and crunch.

A Yorkshire Rose chocolate, made with rose petal jelly from Yorkshire roses and a Real Ale chocolate using Yorkshire bitter from a York brewery complete the set.

Commenting on the new Easter Gift Box, Katie Matten, joint managing director, Shepherds Purse said: "Chocolate and cheese are two foods people get very passionate about, so we are delighted to offer this unconventional gift for Easter to our customers at www.shepherdspurse.co.uk.

"We are delighted to join forces with Sophie Jewett, founder of the York Cocoa House, who is passionate about working with local quality producers and we think the Yorkshire Blue cheese and biscuits chocolate, which combines two old favourites, is surprisingly tasty together! We look forward to the reaction of our customers."

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!)