fond farewell to a friend

We’ve had the pleasure of selling Irish farmhouse cheese for almost three decades. From a time when Irish cheese was a tiny niche known to just a few; to today, where farmhouse cheeses are both the occasional treat and even a staple in many household weekly shops.

A more accurate description of what we term Irish farmhouse cheese would be Irish family cheese, because behind each cheese are the families who produce them. These cheeses reflect their makers and kin, their day to day lives and the places they call home. Over the years we have been lucky to get to know these families and to share our journey together. We have seen the skills and knowledge pass from first generation to second and have seen many new creative, dynamic producers begin their journey. Sadly, we have also seen some families making the decision to no longer produce cheese. There can be many reasons for this, some tragic, some unfortunate, and some simply as the result of life’s normal twists and turns.

We all love to talk about the new and the exciting, but we think it is also important from time to time to pause and thank those who have finished their journey, who have given us so much pleasure down through the years.

Tom and Lena Biggane started making cheese on their farm outside Newtownshandrum, near Charleville, Co. Cork in 2001. They had their own herd of milking goats and produced a wonderful firm goat’s cheese ‘Clonmore’. It was never a big star within Irish farmhouse cheese but was a regular on our counters for twenty years and had an enthusiastic and faithful following amongst our staff, customers and many chefs. It is a subtle, delicate cheese with a distinctive sweet almost vanilla aroma.

Tom and Lena have decided to retire from cheese making and the last few wheels are on their way to our Meath, Galway City and Dublin City Sheridans shops. We would like to thank the Biggane family for their years of hard work, craft and skill. If you never had the pleasure of trying this cheese, or have been a long-time fan, pop in and have a taste.

And to all the cheese makers and their families who have hung up their cheese harps, thank you for the wonderful cheese and best of luck in the future.

Kevin and Seamus