Cratloe Hills

Cratloe Hills Sheep's Cheese is an Irish cheese produced by Sean and Deirdre Fitzgerald at their farm in Brickhill, Co. Clare since 1988. It is the first sheep's cheese to be produced in Ireland.

Their hard cheese us made using vegetarian rennet and pasteurised sheep's milk sourced from their own flock of Friesland ewes, which graze, on pastureland on the Cratloe Hills. It is has a semi-firm texture with small holes throughout. The mature cheeses display a more harder, granular texture. Flavour varies from mild, sweet and appley flavours when young that develop more robust and complex notes as it ages. It is aged from one month to 14 months whilst the mature variety is aged beyond 14 months. The pale yellow cheese is wrapped in a breathable plasticoat that shows off a dusty yellow ochre exterior. It is available in 125gm to 450gm portions as well as 2.5kg rounds.