Grass-fed isn’t a marketing label in Ireland. It’s simply the way it’s done, much of the time. As I made my way through the country on a 1,500 km food-centric road trip, I passed countless green pastures with the grazing cattle many of us associate with the Irish landscape. It’s this green, green grass that contributes to the character of the superior-quality dairy products. And I soon discovered that the cheese is worth a trip in itself.
In such a historically-rich country, you’d be forgiven for assuming the farmhouse cheese tradition is older than it is. Cheese has been made in Ireland since Celtic times (and references can be found in early Irish literature), but it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the cheesemaking renaissance really kicked off with the application of Continental techniques and an Irish appreciation for a homegrown product. It was in Co. Cork, in the southwest of Ireland, that cheesemakers Veronica Steele of Milleens, Giana Ferguson of Gubbeen and Jeffa Gill of Durrus led the charge. All three companies are still producing cheese today, although Steele has since passed the reins to her son, Quinlan.
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