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Wensleydale recipes

Wensleydale

This ancient cheese, with its delicate, slightly sour flavour and distinctive moist, flaky texture is made from pasteurised cows’ milk. Wensleydale is available in two varieties: the common white sort, which is sold very young, and the rarer blue-veined Wensleydale, which has a mellow, rather savoury character, and a firm texture.

Buyer's guide

The only Wensleydale still made in the valley itself is that from the Hawes Creamery, which uses locally-sourced milk. also makes a blue version. Their cheeses are sold under the name ‘Real Yorkshire Wensleydale’.

Preparation

White Wensleydale is often enjoyed with fruitcake in its Yorkshire homeland. Wensleydale was made with ewes’ milk up until the 17th century, but now it is made exclusively with cows’ milk.

Article by Felicity Cloake

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