Cheesemonger's Special Selection

National Vegetarian Week is coming up this month (10th-19th May) making this a perfect moment to explore some of our favourite cheeses made from vegetarian rennet. Rennet is a key part of the cheese making process, added to liquid milk to coagulate proteins into curds.

Rennet comes from a number of different sources. Traditional rennet is the naturally occurring enzyme 'chymosin' which is taken from the fourth digestive compartment of a ruminant's stomach, most typically calves but also young goats and sheep. Traditional rennet produces curds that are strong, elastic and easy to handle.

Rennet suitable for vegetarians may be harvested from fungi cultures or plants. The first of these, microbial rennet, was developed in the 1970s when there was a decline in the supply of calf rennet, and it is now used in around one third of cheese produced worldwide. It has several advantages over rennet from animal sources including bulk production and lower cost, however it can result in the formation of bitter peptides during the cheese making process, adversely affecting the final flavour of the cheese.

Plant-based rennet contains the enzymes 'cyprosin' and 'cardosin' that are found in the stamen of cardoon flowers, globe artichoke thistles and also the leaves of figs, nettles and safflowers. Plant-based rennet is less commonly used than traditional or microbial rennet as it is regarded as lacking in strength and likely to produce less predictable results.

We hope you enjoy the three vegetarian rennet cheeses included in this month's selection!


Copys Cloud - This is one of our local East Anglian cheeses, a soft brie-style cheese from Mrs Temple in Norfolk. She is based at Copys Green Farm at Wighton near Walsingham, which has been in her husband's family since the 1950s. Her cheeses are all handmade from the pasteurised milk of their Brown Swiss cows using vegetarian rennet. Copys Cloud has a bloomy rind that is edible and delicious. It has a subtle flavour, milder than Baron Bigod or Brie de Meaux, with a buttery melting centre. A real treat with savoury crackers or a spoonful of sweet chilli jam. Pasteurised cow's milk / Vegetarian rennet.


Cornish Yarg - This beautiful, nettle-wrapped cheese was created by Alan Gray in 1984 after he found a 17th Century recipe in his attic (‘Yarg’ is his surname spelt backwards). It now made by Catherine Mead and her team at the award-winning Lynher Dairies in Ponsanooth, mid Cornwall, from the pasteurised milk of the dairy's own herd of Ayrshire cows. It is a fresh lemony cheese, creamy under its natural rind and slightly crumbly towards the core. Its iconic nettle-wrapped exterior not only gives it an appealing appearance but also attracts naturally occurring moulds which impart a delicate mushroomy, herby flavour and encourage buttery breakdown under the rind. The nettles are handpicked between May and July each year by a team of expert foragers. They are completely edible, although a little chewy so not to everyone's taste. We love Cornish Yarg with a handful of walnuts and slices of fresh apple. Pasteurised cow's milk / Vegetarian rennet.


Mayfield - This Is recognisable by its 'eyes', naturally occurring oval holes not typically seen in a British cheese. A cross between Emmental and Comté its sweet nuttiness is reminiscent of Alpine flavours. Winner of a 'Super Gold' medal at the World Cheese Awards, Mayfield is made by Alsop & Walker in East Sussex and is named after the parish in which the dairy lies. Made in large 18kg wheels from locally sourced milk, Mayfield is wax coated and matured between five and seven months. Smooth, creamy and gentle with notes of salted caramel, Mayfield is delicious on a cheeseboard and also melts well so can be used in a British fondue recipe or for a rich cauliflower cheese. Pasteurised cow's milk / Vegetarian rennet.