We join Lancaster House Head Chef, Damien Ng and Food & Beverage Manager, Gary Tennant, as they get out and about on the three Lancashire Cheese Trails – Crumbly, Tasty and Creamy. Three beautiful walks in the Lancashire countryside along which the culinary duo called in at a number of artisan cheesemakers, sharing some of Damian’s recipes and gathering inspiration for future Lancaster House menus.
Head Chef, Damian (left) and F & B Manager, Gary, out on the trail for cheese
Here we feature the Crumbly Cheese Trail.
Photo Credit: Crosbyman66
The Walk
A six-mile circular walk, the Crumbly Lancashire Cheese Trail starts in the market town of Churchtown, just south of Garstang, and follows the line of the River Wyre. Part of the trail includes a section of canal towpath. The walk takes you past Dewlay dairy, the largest of the Lancashire cheese producers where a viewing gallery allows you to see the cheese making process up close.
Crumbly Lancashire Cheese
Crumbly Lancashire is the new kid on the block. It was created in the 1960’s and has a large and growing fan club. It’s a light, acidic cheese made from the curds of one day’s milking. The flavour is mild and tangy and is great with a slice of fruit cake or crumbled into a salad as a British alternative to Feta.
Dewlay Dairy
Damien and Gary enjoyed popping into the Dairy and took the opportunity to sample a few of the cheeses in the small factory shop.
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- A wee taste of Lancashire
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- Damien in Cheese Heaven
Dewlay was founded in 1957 and is now run by brothers, Nick and Richard, third generation cheesemakers. At the 2016 International Cheese Awards they stormed the awards, taking away 4 trophies, 10 gold awards and 11 medals – no mean feat amongst over 5,000 competitors.
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- Selection of Dewlay cheeses
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- Dewlay Cheese Shop
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- Gary and Damien meet a member of the Dewlay team
The brothers maintain that Dewlay’s unique taste and texture is down to their starter culture which was created over 40 years ago. With each days’ batch of cheese, a remnant of the precious culture is kept back for the next day’s production – so the continuity of the traditional taste is maintained.
The milk for Dewlay cheeses comes from farms in a tight-knit 6 mile radius. Dewlay produce a range of traditional Creamy, Crumbly and Tasty Lancashire cheeses as well as Garstang Blue, the cheese that Damian has chosen for his stuffed field mushroom dish – recipe to follow.
Garstang blue – the star of Damien’s Field Stuffed Mushroom’s recipe
Supporting Local Suppliers
The menu at Lancaster House Foodworks Restaurant will always showcase the best of local produce.
Lancaster House Head Chef, Damien Ng.
The artisan cheese makers on our doorstep are an important part of Lancashire’s rich food heritage and in the months to come we look forward to working with the local dairies to create new and exciting dishes that will feature on the Lancaster House Foodworks menu.
Join us at The Foodworks
Book a Table online or call 01524 844 822 to make a reservation to join Damien, Gary and the team at Lancaster House Foodworks Restaurant.
