Cave to Co-op August 2015: Willoughby

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Willoughby
cow milk washed rind
Jasper Hill Farm, Greensboro, Vermont

Willoughby is an original creation of Marisa Mauro’s Ploughgate Creamery, a Cellars at Jasper Hill collaborator that ceased production of the cheese after a creamery fire in 2010. With Marisa’s blessing we resurrect this pudgy little washed-rind and have continued to develop the recipe at Jasper Hill Creamery.

This succulent and buttery washed-rind cheese has aromas of peat, roasted beef and onions – a strong and complex front for the subtle milky, herbal, ripe-peach flavors within. Willoughby has a thin, tender, rosy-orange rind, which adds earthy dimension to the texture and flavors of the gooey interior.

Willoughby’s small format is ideal for selling whole on the retail counter, or quickly rotating through a professional kitchen. The pudding-like texture may become softer with age, but should remain sliceable for portioning until 9 weeks after its production date.

Pair Willoughby with juicy rose wine, funky saison beer or raw floral honey.

The Cellars at Jasper Hill is an innovative 22,000 square foot underground facility located in Greensboro, VT. The Cellars were constructed for the purpose of providing affinage, or aging expertise, as well as distribution and marketing services for local cheesemakers so that they may access the burgeoning market for artisan cheese nationwide.

Cave to Co-op is a partnership between Provision International and the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) to support local, artisanal cheese producers in our region and make their products more easily available to co-op shoppers.  The NFCA is a network of more than 20 food co-ops in our region — including yours — that are working together to advance their vision of a thriving regional economy, rooted in a healthy, just and sustainable food system and a vibrant community of co-operative enterprise.  For more information, please visit www.nfca.coop.