November Cheese of the Month: Buffalo Blue
Add a twist to a traditional blue with our super rich and indulgent Buffalo Blue.
Smooth, creamy and delicious, it’s carefully handmade by our talented team here on the farm using the highest quality Italian water buffalo milk.
And as well as being available on our website, and specialist cheese shops, it's also available in Booths Stores across the north of England and Waitrose stores across the whole of the UK - you'll find it on their deli counters and their friendly team will cut you a piece to whatever size you'd like!
Smooth, creamy and delicious
Recently awarded 2 prestigious gold stars at the 2024 Great Taste Awards, we’ve been making this delicious cheese since the early 2000’s, and it’s been a firm favourite ever since.
We’re often asked what makes it so special, and that’s a difficult question to answer, because the truth is, there’s quite a lot that makes it special!
The journey of Buffalo Blue began when a local farmer had acquired a herd of water buffalo and contacted Judy to see if she would be interested in using the milk to make cheese.
We’re often asked what makes it so special, and that’s a difficult question to answer, because the truth is, there’s quite a lot that makes it special!
The team began experimenting with the milk and after perfecting the recipe, launched Buffalo Blue onto the market in 2001.
The following year saw its popularity soar and in 2003 it won its first of many awards at the British Cheese Awards, with prizes at the Great Yorkshire Show and the International Cheese Awards following soon after.
In late 2004 the local farmer stopped milking, but Buffalo Blue had been such a success we began to explore other supply routes, and met the wonderful Bob Palmer, a single-herd farmer based in South Warwickshire, who was producing phenomenal milk.
Buffalo Blue has won some of the most prestigious industry awards in the world
Fast forward to the present day and we receive a milk delivery from Bob every 6-8 weeks.
Our skilled team carefully crafts the Buffalo Blue by hand before leaving it to mature for approximately 10 weeks to ensure it’s perfect!
In the last few years alone, Buffalo Blue has won some of the most prestigious industry awards in the world, including a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2021!
Buffalo Blue continues to be a favourite with our customers far and wide with fan across the country. As well as being available through our website and at independent retailers, it’s also stocked in over 220 Waitrose Deli counters across the UK as well as in Booths stores in the north of England too.
The Benefits of Buffalo
- Buffalo milk isn’t widely produced in the UK making it significantly more expensive, but it brings with it a whole host of benefits!
- High in Vitamin A, which gives it its wonderful bright, creamy white colour, it’s also higher in protein and has around 50% more calcium compared to cow’s milk.
- Buffalo milk is higher in fat (and therefore calories) than cow's milk, which is perfect for making cheese. Its much higher proportion of mono-unsaturated fats however, means it’s better for cholesterol levels and has great antioxidant properties too.
So why is Buffalo Blue so good?
- Good quality milk is key and Bob’s milk is consistently exceptional!
- We treat the milk with the utmost care, carefully pasteurising it onsite.
- Bob delivers around 1,000 litres of milk every 6-8 weeks, which produces around 65 cheeses.
- Our cheesemakers turn each cheese regularly to remove the whey and ensure a balanced flavour and consistency.
- Each cheese is hand-salt before being left to ripen under the watchful eyes of our team for 10 weeks.
- Our quality control team taste-tests every batch to ensure it’s ready for release.