Making cheese the biodynamic way
A organic Westmeath family farm who make products on a biodynamic basis - for the unitiatied, that's on favourable days in the moon's cycle - has been featured in new glossy definitive guide to Ireland's farmhouse cheeses. Moon Shine Dairy Farm is the only producer from the Lake county to appear in newly launched book Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland - A Celebration by Glynn Anderson and John McLaughlin. The cheeses featured in the impressive new book, sure to be a hit with foodies are from the four corners of Ireland, include cheese coated in ash, blue cheese, seaweed cheese, sheep's cheese and goat's cheeses. Other products mentioned include goat ice cream and lullaby milk which is produced before daylight and is said to help with insomnia. Owners of Moon Shine Dairy Farm Mary and Gerry Kelly, whose farm is close to Mullingar, pride themselves on using a back to basics approach and have a passionate connection with their food, the book explains. Farming a mixed dairy herd of Friesian, Ayrshire and Friesian/Ayrshire cross and Irish Moiled19 cow and calf, a traditional rare cattle breed, the animals on the farm close to Lough Ennell are fed with organic hay and haylage. The cows are provided with as stress-free an environment as possible and are allowed to roam freely or are kept indoors in a large straw bedded shed. Only certified organic since 2002, the innovative farmers make a range of soft cream cheeses and Emmental-style hard cheeses, which have already been lauded by the British Cheese Awards. Their organic milk has also been the recipient of the 2010 Irish Food Writers Guild awards and a 2009 Irish National Organic Award. The impressive book features a full in-depth descriptions of all cheeses highlighted and Irish farmhouse cheese recipes contributed by well known chefs like Derry Clarke, Ross Lewis, Catherine Fulvio, Clodagh McKenna, Denis Cotter, Darina Allen, Rachel Allen and many others. Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland - A Celebration by Glynn Anderson and John McLaughlin is published by The Collins Press, price €24.99. It is available now from all good bookshops and online at www.collinspress.ie