The Innes Dairy
Goats Milk Cheese
Written by Joe Bennett
Video and stills photography by LECLICK
Highfields Farm Dairy, which produces Innes Cheese, was founded in 1987 by Hugh Innes Lillingston, when he inherited Highfields Farm on his family estate. His connoisseurship of French produce, especially fine goat's cheese, inspired him to establish the dairy on the farm. Stella Bennett was invited to make the cheese, and 3 years later, the business expanded into bread making, with a traditional French sour-dough loaf. The bakery consisted of a traditional stone, igloo-style wood-fired oven that had been shipped from an old farm in France. By this time, Hannah Bennett had joined the business, and was sent to Lyon in France, chaperoned by her brother Joe, in order to acquire the skills of traditional French bread-making. The cheese and the bread were sold to local customers and distributed through wholesalers. The demand for bread increased, resulting in three baking sessions a day in the oven that held just 15 loves of bread per session.
In 1997, Joe and Stella bought the cheese business and continued to produce the cheese in the same traditional manner. Today, Highfields Farm has over 300 goats that produce around 1000 litres of milk each per year. An average goat will produce 3-3 1/2 litres of milk per day from two milking sessions, one at 4.30 a.m. and the other at 4.00 p.m. When compared to weight, size and the food intake of the animal, goats have a better milk yield than cows; and they produce milk which is naturally homogenous and therefore is generally more digestible for those with an intolerance of cow's milk.In order to produce a quality of milk required for the highest standard of cheese, the goats are fed on wheat feed, soya, and sugar beet which we blend with brewer's grains, and hay which we grow on the farm.
All the cheese produced in the diary is lactic set cheese, which means that a small amount of natural rennet is added to milk which slowly solidifies as a result of the increase of lactic acid. This is in contrast to a hard cheese, such as cheddar, which is set using a large amount of rennet.
The dairy produces 4 types of goats' cheese. The curd is a fresh, beautifully soft, spreadable cheese available in tubs in its natural form or with added herbs and garlic.
The Innes Button and the Innes Clifton are very fresh mousse-like cheeses that are just 5 days old.
The Bosworth Leaf, Bosworth Ash Log and the Clifton leaf are mould ripened mature cheeses.
Finally, the Cherwell and the Banbury Cross cheeses are wonderfully smooth and creamy, and made specifically for Premier Cheese. The rich sweetness of the milk is apparent, a light lemony freshness and an overall milk and aromatic taste.
To make a Bosworth Leaf cheese, for example, a starter culture is added to the evening milk, and after a short cooling period, the morning milk is then added. During this period, the acidity will have increased; rennet will be added, and the milk will slowly separate into curds and whey. After 24 hours, the curds will be ladled into moulds and left to drain. After a further 24 hours, the cheese is turned in the moulds and left to drain, again for 24 hours. After this, the cheese is removed from the moulds, salted, and placed on racks in the drying room in order to remove excess moisture. At this stage, white mould is beginning to form on the cheese; after 48 hours, the cheese is removed to the ripening room where the white mould continues to develop as the cheese ripens, and is ready to sell at about 3 weeks old.
At Highfields Farm Dairy we have worked closely and successfully with Premier Cheese to establish a range of cheese with a taste and texture which can be enjoyed at anytime. ⎕
