Wensleydale cheese
Wensleydale is a style of cheese originally produced in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England, but now mostly made in large commercial creameries throughout the United Kingdom. The term "Yorkshire Wensleydale" can only be used for cheese that is made in Wensleydale.
The style of cheese originated from a monastery of French Cistercian monks who settled in northern England, and continued to be produced by local farmers after the monastery was dissolved in 1540. Wensleydale cheese fell to low production in the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, but its popularity was revitalized by frequent references in the Wallace & Gromit series.
Flavour and texture
Wensleydale is a medium cheese that is supple and crumbly. It has a slight honey aroma.Common flavour combinations
The flavour of Wensleydale is suited to combination with sweeter produce, such as sweet apples. Many restaurants and delicatessens serve a version of the cheese that contains cranberries.In Yorkshire and North East England, the cheese is often eaten with fruit cake or Christmas cake.
History
Wensleydale cheese was first made by French Cistercian monks from the Roquefort region, who settled in Wensleydale. They built a monastery at Fors. Some years later the monks moved to Jervaulx in Lower Wensleydale. They brought with them a recipe for making cheese from sheep's milk.In the 14th century, cows' milk began to be used instead, and the character of the cheese began to change. A little ewes' milk was still mixed in since it gave a more open texture, and allowed the development of blue mould. At that time, Wensleydale was almost always blue with the white variety almost unknown. Today the opposite is true, with blue Wensleydale rarely seen.
When the monastery was dissolved in 1540, the local farmers continued making the cheese until the Second World War, when most milk in the UK was used for the making of ration-era government cheddar. Even after rationing ceased in 1954, cheese making did not return to pre-war levels.
The first creamery to produce Wensleydale commercially was established in 1897 in the town of Hawes. Wensleydale Dairy Products, who bought the Wensleydale Creamery in 1992, sought to protect the name Yorkshire Wensleydale under an EU regulation. Protected Geographical Indication status was awarded in 2013.