Dorset Blue Vinny
The Davies family have been making Dorset Blue Vinny at Woodbridge Farm for almost 40 years. Although we can't give away all our secrets, here's a little sneak peak into how we make our delicious cheese...
Dorset Blue Vinny takes over 24 hours to make. Each morning, we use fresh milk from our herd of 270 Friesian dairy cows. Once it’s been pasteurised, hand-skimmed and the starter culture, rennet and penicillin mould added, it’s ready to be made into cheese…!
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Once the milk coagulates (sets) it is cut into small pieces before being left overnight, next morning, 'Little Miss Muffet's favourite… curds and whey have formed. The whey is drained off leaving the curd to be ground, salted and put into moulds where it stays for a few days, before being moved to the maturing room.
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The cheeses need to be turned by hand every day for the first few weeks and then once a week after that. The cheeses are spiked with long narrow pins to allow air into the cheese which helps the mould grow and flavour to develop. It can take up to 20 weeks for the cheese to mature into the Dorset Blue Vinny that we all know and love.
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Once the cheese has matured and ripened, it's FINALLY ready to be munched..!
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In 1998, we were the first food producer to be awarded PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status and are the only producers of Dorset Blue Vinny.
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You can find Dorset Blue Vinny cheese in cheese shops, delis, pubs, restaurants and farm shops throughout the UK. Please visit our Stockists page to see if there's one near you.