Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese facts for kids

Cooleeney Farm is a special place in County Tipperary, Ireland, where they make delicious cheeses. They use milk from both cows and goats right from their own farm! The farm is located near a town called Thurles.

The Maher family has been farming for a very long time – four generations! They use milk from their own special Friesian cows to create their cheeses. It's cool because all Cooleeney Farm cheeses are made with something called vegetarian rennet. This means they don't use animal products to help the cheese form.

What Cheeses Do They Make?

Cooleeney Farm makes seven different kinds of cheese. Five of these are made from cow's milk from their own farm. One is made from goat's milk from their farm, and another uses goat's milk from a farm nearby.

Here are some of the cheeses they produce:

• Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese: This cheese is made from raw cow's milk. It's aged for about 8 to 10 weeks and has a soft, smooth texture.
• Darú: This one uses pasteurised cow's milk. It's aged for about 9 months and is a semi-hard cheese with small holes.
• Dunbarra: Made from pasteurised cow's milk, Dunbarra is aged for 8 to 10 weeks. It has a semi-soft texture.
• Gleann Óir: This cheese is made from pasteurised goat's milk. It's aged for 9 months and is a semi-hard cheese with irregular holes.
• Gortnamona: This soft cheese uses pasteurised goat's milk from a nearby farm. It's aged for 8 to 10 weeks and can be slightly chalky.
• Maighean: Like Cooleeney Farmhouse, Maighean is made from raw cow's milk. It's also aged for 8 to 10 weeks and has a soft, smooth texture.
• Tipperary Brie: This cheese uses pasteurised cow's milk. It's aged for 8 to 10 weeks and is soft, sometimes a little chalky.

Awards and Recognition

Cooleeney Farm cheeses have won many awards over the years! These awards show how tasty and well-made their cheeses are.

Some of their awards include:

• 2011: They won 2 stars for their Gortnamona cheese at the Great Taste Awards.
• 2010: They received a Silver medal at the World Cheese Awards.
• 2010: They also won another award at the Great Taste Awards.
• 2010: Cooleeney Farm was named "Artisan Producer of the Year." An artisan producer is someone who makes things in a traditional or non-mass-produced way.
• 2006: They won an award at the British Cheese Awards.

See also

In Spanish: Cooleeney para niños

• List of cheesemakers