Flower Marie is a mould ripened square shaped ewe’s milk cheese with a white bloomy rind (200g or 600g).

• The ewe’s milk is produced by flocks of sheep from Wayfield Dairy Sheep, Stratford-upon-Avon.

• As it matures the cheese develops a delicate but full, complex flavour and an intense, creamy softness

Flower Marie was developed by the late James Aldridge, artisan cheese maker and wholesaler. James gave us the recipe and showed us how to make the cheese in the early nineties.

Flower Marie is a soft mould ripened cheese made from unpasteurised sheep milk from Wayfield Dairy Sheep, Stratford-upon-Avon. We make three 190 litre batches of cheese each week in individual and cutting sizes.

The milk takes 14-16 hours to form a curd so it is started the previous evening to fit the making into the next working day. The milk is warmed and cheese starter, vegetarian rennet and penicilium culture are added before being transferred into buckets and placed in a warm room overnight to form a curd. Once the curd has developed the correct acidity it is hand ladled into the square moulds and left to drain. After a few hours the cheeses are turned and this process is repeated until the cheese is turned out of moulds and onto mats the following morning. The cheeses drain for a few more hours before being placed in a brine solution for a short while. After further draining they are moved into the drying room for at least 2 days until firm enough to go into the maturing room where conditions are right for the cheese to grow its white mould rind. The cheeses are wrapped at about 12 days old and stored below 5°C ready for distribution.

The cheese can be eaten at this stage but the body will be quite firm and the flavour fresh and acidic. As the cheese matures slowly under refrigeration the body of the cheese will soften from the outside to the centre, the flavour will develop and the acidity will decrease.