Killeen Farmhouse Cheese facts for kids

Killeen Farmhouse Cheese is a special type of cheese made on a farm in Ireland. This small farm is located right by the River Shannon, close to a town called Portumna in County Galway. It's known for making delicious cheeses from both goat's milk and cow's milk.

How Killeen Cheese Started

Killeen Farmhouse Cheese began in 2004. A woman named Marion Roeleveld started it on a farm near Lough Derg. Marion learned how to make cheese in her home country, the Netherlands. Even though she had studied cheesemaking, she didn't have much hands-on experience at first.

She started by making small batches of cheese. She decided to focus on a style of cheese similar to Gouda cheese. She used milk from her own herd of about 40 goats. She also used cow's milk from a nearby farm.

Marion uses a special type of goat called Saanen goats. These goats are very popular in Switzerland. Today, her farm has grown, and she cares for about 200 goats!

Types of Killeen Cheese

Killeen Farmhouse Cheese makes two main types of Gouda-style cheese:

• Killeen Goat Gouda is made using pasteurised goat's milk. These cheeses are shaped into 5kg wheels. They are aged for 2 to 12 months to get their unique flavor.
• Killeen Cow Gouda is made with pasteurised cow's milk. Like the goat cheese, these also come in 5kg wheels. They are also aged for 2 to 12 months.

Awards and Recognition

Killeen Farmhouse Cheese is one of the most successful cheese makers in Ireland. They have won many important awards. They have been named "Supreme Champion" at the Irish Cheese Awards several times. They have also won gold medals at the British Cheese Awards and the World Cheese Awards.

Here are some of their awards:

• 2011 British Cheese Awards - Best Goat Cheese
• 2011 Irish Cheese Awards - Supreme Champion
• 2011 World Cheese Awards - Best Irish and "Super Gold"
• 2012 British Cheese Awards - Best Irish Cheese, Best Modern British
• 2014 Irish Cheese Awards - Supreme Champion
• 2014 British Cheese Awards - Best Goat Cheese
• 2016 British Cheese Awards - Gold medal and Bronze medal
• 2018 British Cheese Awards - Best Modern British Cheese
• 2019 Irish Cheese Awards - Supreme Champion
• 2019 World Cheese Awards - Gold medal

See also

• List of goat milk cheeses