Located in County Limerick and recognized as the originator of fine Irish cheese, Marion Cahill of Cahill’s Farm has developed an interesting range of flavored cheddars. Using a base of tangy Irish cheddar, she has experimented with a variety of flavors and has come up with some very popular combinations. These semi-soft cheddars are made from pasteurized cow’s milk and vegetable rennet. No animal rennet is used in their recipes thus ensuring that all their cheese range is vegetarian approved. Cahill’s Farm Cheese is know as “The Crown Jewel of Irish Gourmet Cheese.”
This is the only cheese produced in the heart of County Limerick. The milk comes from the Friesian herd located on the 64-acre farm of Dave and Marion Cahill, just a mile outside the town. This and their other three cheeses are all farmstead cheeses as the cheese is made at the same facility where the milk is produced.
Marion, once a bank clerk, decided to go into cheese manufacturing in 1966 when she married Dave. Years later with the help of a small staff, she and Dave have become an established gourmet legend. The cornerstone of their operation is that each cheese is individually made and blended using no artificial ingredients.
All products are made from vintage cheddar cheese and blended with an added flavor.
- Ballintubber with Chives Cheese – a black waxed cheese flavored with fresh chives
- Ballyporeen Cheese – a green waxed cheese flavored with fresh mixed herbs
- Ardagh Wine Cheese – a red waxed cheese veined with red wine, revived from an old Limerick Palatine recipe
- Plain Porter Cheese – a brown waxed cheese flavored with Guinness
- Whiskey Cheese – a yellow waxed cheese flavored with Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey
The cheese I sampled was the Porter Cheese. It came in thick brown wax truckle. Each brown waxed truckle is individually handcrafted with plain Irish porter, brewed by Guinness in their Dublin at their Dublin premises since 1759. Sniffing up close, it had a warm, earthy nose that reminded me of forest floors and thick beer. Guinness was the first beer that came to mind, of course. It is a visually stunning cheese with deep brown marbling through a rich ochre yellow cheddar. The cheddar was creamy, semi-hard, meaty, and melted in my mouth. I reveled in the smooth, cheddar flavor enriched with the malty, chocolate and caramel richness. This cheese was such a pleasure to eat!
Serving Suggestions: This cheese breaks easily and could be melted or grated. This cheese is really good on a ploughman’s plate or served at lunch with beer. It would be good paired with ripe pear or cooked apple. This cheese is perfect as an hors d’oeuvre when sliced and served with a tossed salad. It is equally as good when served as a center piece on an after dinner cheese board.
Wine Pairings: Full-bodied red, Zifandel, Peirano Estate
Beer Pairings: Hoppy and bitter beers, Guinness Stout (a natural), Sammy-Smiths – Taddy Porter, Buttle Creek Porter
Cheese Milk: Cow
Country: Ireland
Category: Semi-hard
Miscellaneous Information: Vegetarian cheese
