Made on the Burgess family’s farm in the Wicklow hills, near Tullow on the border of counties Wicklow and Carlow, Coolattin is one of only a few authentic cheddar style Irish farm cheeses.
Tom Burgess sums up all that is best about a wonderful county where quality wins over quantity every time.
A cheese-making veteran of two decades, he took the Supreme Champion title at the 2016 Irish Cheese Awards for his Mount Leinster Clothbound - what an achievement for this distinctive, deeply flavoured mature cheddar, and great recognition for the county.
Tom's herd of 130 pasture-fed friesian cows are milked just once daily in summer, when their diet consists solely of lush, clover-rich grass, and their warm milk goes straight into the cheese vat to begin the process of bringing this handmade cheese from ‘pasture to cheddar the same day’.
Like the other excellent cheeses in the range (Coolattin Mature, Coolattin Vintage and Coolattin Smoked), Mount Leinster Clothbound is aged for at least a year before being released - and Mount Leinster has that extra character that is unique to clothbound cheddars.
The high quality of Tom Burgess's cheese has also been internationally recognised, with one high point being a bronze medal at the World Cheese Awards in 2009.
You’ll find Tom’s stall at Farmleigh, Carlow and Kildavin markets. Coolattin is also on sale at Avoca Rathcoole; Lilliput Stores Stoneybatter; and Ward's Fruit and Veg, Tullow - and you’ll see it in some of the country’s best menus too.
