Northern Irish Young Buck blue cheese on sale in Berlin
Young Buck, the Northern Irish artisan blue cheese developed by Mike Thomson of Mike's Fancy Cheese (MFC), is now on sale in Germany. The cheese is the first in Northern Ireland made using unpasteurised milk.
The first hand crafted cheese from Northern Ireland to win business in Germany, Young Buck is being sold by Alt Milch at Markhalle in Berlin's Kreuzberg district. Alt Milch is one of Berlin's leading specialist cheesemongers.
Based at Newtownards in county Down, MFC began shipping the award-winning blue cheese to Alt Milch on a monthly basis in December. It's proving a popular addition to the Alt Milch cheese portfolio. Alt Milch describes Young Buck as "an outstandingly complex and rich blue cheese".
Thomson says the business followed his decision to show Young Buck at last year's Berlin Cheese Festival. "Among the many cheese businesses I met during the show and in subsequent visits to independent retailers was Alt Milch. They liked the cheese and we struck up a friendship which led to them placing an order for a monthly consignment.
"I've been shipping cheese wheels there since December, and it's really good business for me in a marketplace which enjoys its blue cheese that's handcrafted with great care and attention to detail. They also appreciate that the cheese is made from raw milk sourced from a farm close to my creamery. Young Buck is a premium product with provenance," he adds.
He's also won business for Young Buck from fromageries in Paris, Lyon and Lille.
Thomson (31) studied cheese making at The School of Artisan Food in Nottingham and then developed his knowledge and skills particularly in Stilton-type cheese making with producers in England.
He moved back to Northern Ireland in November 2012 to set up his own dairy and raised cash for the venture through a crowdfunding initiative. This enabled him to start making cheese in November 2013. He launched Young Buck in January 2014, winning business with leading Northern Irish restaurants such as Michelin-starred Deane's EIPIC and Ox.
The cheese is also now available from many leading delis in England and the Republic of Ireland.
Young Buck has won a strong of awards for quality including UK Great Taste Awards.