New Blue Cheese from Northern Irish producer

Dart Mountain Cheese Company in Northern Ireland has launched a new blue cheese. Known as Sperrin Blue, the cheese is the first to be developed by Dart Mountain, named after a nearby peak in the Sperrin range of mountains in the north west of Northern Ireland.

Sperrin Blue has been developed by cheese maker Julie Hickey from milk sourced from local dairy farms and is handmade in small batches using traditional methods. It is then aged for up to six weeks to maximise flavour before release. The artisan business recently agreed a distribution deal in Northern Ireland with Henderson Foodservice, part of the John Henderson Group which is the region's main Spar business.

It is a semi-hard pasteurised cows cheese with blue veining and a natural rind. The cheese is available in 150g 1.5kg and 3kg formats. Sperrin Blue is the third blue cheese to be launched in Northern Ireland in the past two years - the others being Kearney Blue, from Portaferry in county Down and Young Buck, the first cheese to be developed by Mike's Fancy Cheese based at Newtownards also in county Down.

Dart Mountain Cheese is part of Tamnagh Foods, a small business based at Park in Claudy, county Londonderry, which also produces granolas, relishes and chutneys. The cheese business was established by Mrs Hickey in June 2011, who has been involved in the local food industry for over 18 years as a chef and restaurateur.

In June 2012 the company converted a disused farm shed into a modern approved food unit - incorporating a modern production kitchen, a cheese production area and specially constructed cheese maturing rooms to facilitate the controlled ageing of cheese.



Mrs Hickey says: "During 2012 and 2013 we completed many trials of variations of cheese to establish the type most representative of our region and which gave the best taste and flavour. We officially launched Sperrin Blue, our first cheese, in March.



"We are committed to the principles of artisan production - carefully producing food

with the minimum use of machines to maximise the natural flavours of the food.



"We are committed to the environment - we source locally to keep food miles down,

ensure traceability and recycle to minimise our waste. Furthermore, we are committed to food integrity, sourcing directly from the farms in our region to guarantee the source of the food and to improve spend in our local community."

The company is also a founder of the Sperrin Dairy Group, which seeks to encourage the development of a network of artisan producers in the wider Sperrins area. Founding member, Kevin Hickey, of Tamnagh Foods, adds: "The Sperrins are one of Northern Ireland's greatest natural assets farmed by generations of families and this is the time to encourage artisan food production and brand the region as an area of handcrafted artisan food products."