Finally I got my hands on this great nettle-wrapped cheese! It is earthy with bright and buttery paste that's somewhere between bendy and crumbly. The recipe dates back to the 12th century and is a cross between Caerphilly and Wensleydale processes. It was nearly lost though until it was revived in the 1980's by Catherine Mead at Lynher Dairies in Cornwall, southwestern England.

"Yarg" is Gray backwards, named after Aland and Jenny Gray, enterprising farmers who found a 1615 recipe of a nettle-wrapped semi-hard lactic cheese. Fresh nettles are collected during May from the hedgerows surrounding the dairy. The leaves are either steamed or frozen (which removes the sting) and are applied to the Yargs when they are two days old.

I absolutely love this cheese, and I especially love to paint leaf-wrapped cheeses!

Country of Origin: UK, England

Availability: sold