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Cheese from England, Devon and Somerset

Exmoor Blue Cheese (Exmoor Jersey Blue)Exmoor Jersey Blue

Raw Jersey cow milk is warmed to 70 °F with a starter, then held at 85–90 °F for three to five hours while vegetarian rennet and Penicillium roqueforti go in. The curd is hand-ladled into moulds, drained, brined about six hours and needled on both faces. Sprayed with Penicillium candidum, it ripens three to six weeks into a soft blue cheese with a white coat.

Fully documentedCheese22 days – 43 daysPGI (EU file PGI-GB-0001, Commission Regulation (EC) No 872/1999)Family: Blue-veined cheese family (Roquefort as template)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives temperatures and times but no batch size, doses or cheese weight.
Raw whole Jersey cow milkJersey milk only since 1990[uk-spec]
StarterAdded at 70 °F; the specification does not name the culture[uk-spec]
Vegetarian rennet[uk-spec]
Penicillium roquefortiAdded while the milk is held warm[uk-spec]
Salt (brine)[uk-spec]
Penicillium candidumSprayed on both faces in the maturing room[uk-spec]
Starterstarter added at 70 °F (not named); Penicillium roqueforti added during the warm hold

Total time across the recorded steps: 22 days – 43 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteriaPenicillium roquefortiPenicillium candidum21 °C

What changes: Raw Jersey milk is warmed to 70 °F and the starter goes in

Step 1 of 6
Warm the milk and add starter
Time
Not documented
Temperature
21 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Penicillium roqueforti
Penicillium candidum
Moulds
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Raw Jersey cow milk is warmed to 70 °F with a starter, then held at 85–90 °F for three to five hours while vegetarian rennet and Penicillium roqueforti go in. The curd is hand-ladled into moulds, drained, brined about six hours and needled on both faces. Sprayed with Penicillium candidum, it ripens three to six weeks into a soft blue cheese with a white coat. Made in 6 steps over 22 days – 43 days. The longest step, spray with white mould and ripen, takes 21–42 days (Defra 2006). Starter culture added at 70 °F and Penicillium roqueforti do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step21–42 daysSet[uk-spec]Spray with white mould and ripen
Temperature21 °CSet[uk-spec]Warm the milk and add starter

What makes this one different

It is blue inside and bloomy outside, since both Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium candidum are used. The milk comes only from Jersey cows, which gives the yellow, buttery paste.

Rind
White bloomy coat of Penicillium candidum
Fat
Full-fat, average fat content 34%

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw milk and ripened only three to six weeks. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not remove E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria can grow in some cheeses during ageing. The NHS says soft blue-veined cheese and mould-ripened soft cheese with a white coating can carry listeria, and pregnant women should eat them only when thoroughly cooked.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The cheese has been made by hand on the applicant's farm since 1986, and only from Jersey milk since 1990. The name was registered as a PGI on 27 April 1999 (Regulation (EC) No 872/1999, which lists Willett Farm, Lydeard St Lawrence, as the applicant). The specification credits the warm, wet climate and red sandstone soils for the lush pasture.

  1. [uk-spec] Defra, Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 specification summary, 'Exmoor Blue Cheese' (Exmoor Jersey Blue Cheese), PGIspec
  2. [eu-reg] European Commission, Commission Regulation (EC) No 872/1999 of 27 April 1999 supplementing the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2400/96, Annex II (application and specification summary for 'Exmoor Blue Cheese'), OJ L 110, 28.4.1999, pp. 4–7 (Publications Office text)spec
  3. [qualigeo] Fondazione Qualivita, Qualigeo EU-funded GI database, 'Exmoor Blue Cheese PGI' product page (registration date 27/04/1999)web
  4. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  5. [nhs-preg] NHS (UK), Foods to avoid in pregnancy (cheese section)gov