If you’ve been finding it hard to source a really good cheddar, this could be the place to look. Kate Carmody, a bio-chemist by profession, has been making distinctive cheddar cheeses on the family farm in North Kerry since 1987 and has been certified organic since 2000 - a passionate believer in the organic movement, she is actively involved in the GM-free Ireland campaign.
Three organic cheddars are produced, all using vegetarian rennet and the two cheese made on the farm use only the milk of Beal Lodge’s pedigree Holstein-Friesian herd.
Mature Béal Organic Cheddar is handmade on the farm matured for nine months. When it has reached its potential, this natural rind cheese is a wonderful deeply flavoured treat in the classic farmhouse cheddar style.
And then there is the Raw Milk Béal Organic Cheese; made with summer milk, to produce “a wonderful, creamy, cheddar style crumbly textured cheese”, Kate says this natural rind cheese needs a good nine months to mature before reaching its optimum taste and texture. It is available all year but only small quantities are produced.
More recently, Béal Handmade Cheddar has been made in an off-farm artisan cheesemaking facility. This is a milder block cheese, made with pasteurised bought-in milk and matured under vacuum for a minimum of 3 months before release.
