Innovative goat's blue cheese is first for Northern Ireland

A new goat's blue cheese has been developed in Northern Ireland by Leggygowan Farm, the region's first and a new addition to an emerging farmhouse cheese sector.

Leggygowan Farm, formed in 2010 as part of a farm diversification project, is now producing a semi-soft blue cheese from milk from a herd of almost 100 goats on the 20-acre holding in the rich pasture of County Down.

Running the small artisan cheese business, based at Saintfield, near Belfast, are three brothers, Adam, Ryan and Jason Kelly.

While the farm, which is managed by Jason Kelly on a full-time basis, has small herds of cattle and sheep and is based at Saintfield, near Belfast, the brothers are focusing their energies on developing a very distinctive and strong goat's blue cheese

Adam Kelly, Leggygowan Farm director, commenting on the new cheese, says: "The decision to set up a goat's cheese business is the outcome of a research project that we undertook to help us to identify a new direction that would enable us to develop the small farm.

"We saw a gap in the market for an artisan blue cheese using milk from our mixed herd of goats. Unlike the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain, Northern Ireland doesn't have a farmhouse cheese tradition and goat's blue cheese is not readily available in these markets. We've been busy building up the herd which now includes Nubians.

"Our contacts with delis, farm shops and independent grocers found a growing interest among consumers in handmade soft cheese."

Leggygowan received advice and practical support from cheese experts at Northern Ireland's Food Technology Centre, based at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in County Tyrone, in refining the product, the overall production process and packaging.

The support led to the upgrading of the milking parlour and construction of a new cheese processing room. The company was also assisted by Invest Northern Ireland, the region's business development agency, and is now producing the cheese, which is matured over a five-week period, in 1kg moulds.

The small company also plans to make the cheese available in 5kg blocks soon and has plans to develop sales in Great Britain and Republic of Ireland.

"We've test marketed the cheese around the neighbouring area and received very positive feedback, Indeed a number of local retailers have agreed to stock the cheese, when we have finalised some issues including branding and packaging," adds Mr Kelly.