Cornish Yarg facts for kids
Cornish Yarg is a special kind of cheese made from cow's milk in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It's known as a semi-hard cheese, which means it's not super soft like cream cheese, but also not super hard like Parmesan. Before this cheese is ready, it gets wrapped in nettle leaves. These nettles help create a unique, edible rind (the outside crust) that might look a bit mouldy, but that's part of its charm!
The inside of Cornish Yarg can be different depending on where you cut it. Right under the nettle rind, it's usually creamy and soft. But as you get closer to the middle, it becomes more crumbly, a bit like Caerphilly cheese.
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How Cornish Yarg is Made
Even though Cornish Yarg uses an old-fashioned method, it's actually a newer cheese! It became popular in the 1980s when cheesemaking in Britain started to grow again. Its style is inspired by traditional British Territorial cheeses, which are cheeses named after the area they come from.
The Home of Yarg Cheese
Cornish Yarg is made at the Lynher Dairies Cheese Company. This dairy is located on Pengreep Farm, close to a town called Truro in Cornwall. A team led by Catherine Mead and Dane Hopkins works hard to create this unique cheese.
The Story Behind the Name
The name "Yarg" is quite clever – it's simply "Gray" spelled backwards! The cheese was named after Alan and Jenny Gray. They were farmers who discovered a very old recipe in their attic. This recipe, from 1615, described a semi-hard cheese wrapped in nettles. People believe the original idea for this cheese might even be as old as the 13th century!
From Discovery to Dairy
In 1984, the Gray family decided to sell their special recipe to Michael and Margaret Horrell. The Horrells were farmers who wanted to try making cheese. Catherine Mead joined them in 1985 and helped them grow the business. Later, in 2001, Catherine built a second dairy on Pengreep Farm. When the Horrells retired in 2006, all the cheese production moved to Lynher Dairies, where it is still made today.
The Nettle Wrapping Process
Cornish Yarg is made using cow's milk that has been pasteurised (heated to kill germs) from nearby farms. After the cheese is pressed and soaked in salty water (called brining), the nettle leaves are carefully painted onto the cheese by hand. This step is very important! The nettles change the acidity on the outside of the cheese. This change affects how the cheese breaks down and ripens, giving Cornish Yarg its special taste and texture.
