This hard farmhouse cheese is specifically traditional to the region, and is made from a specific breed of indigenous cows, the Ayrshire. The Ayrshire would have been the family cow across all smallholders and farmers, and while its meat is good quality, it is famous for its rich creamy milk.
Ayrshire was once world famous for its dairy industry – the mild damp climate is perfect for rearing dairy cattle; their milk would be used for cheesemaking, while the whey was often used for feeding pigs, so Ayrshire bacon is associated with the region too. The cheese is formed as a traditional clothbound wheel, matured sold as they would have been historically, with no added flavours or additives.
It is a bold distinctive rich hard cheese that naturally varies in colour according to the season and the farm. Each year batches are set aside to mature in readiness for local Bard, Robert Burns’ Suppers that are celebrated worldwide in January each year: it is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, that dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. This more mature version is sought after as the maturity gives it an even deeper bolder flavor.