Manchego Cheese, traditional Spanish Ewe's milk cheese

Manchego Viejo is a Ewe's milk cheese with PDO status, from La Mancha in central Spain. It is made from the milk of Manchega sheep which graze on the plateau and then aged in natural caves for a minimum of 2 months.  It has an intense salty flavour. The dimensions of a manchego are 22cm x 10cm.

The rind is inedible and unmistakable with its traditional herringbone basket weave pattern pressed on it. A typical ear wheat pattern is pressed onto the top and bottom wheels of the cheese. There are specific differences in Manchego cheeses, depending on their aging period:

Semi Curado - Young Manchego cheese is aged around 3 months. The flavor is fruity and grassy with a tangy note and it's still quite a moist cheese.

Curado - Manchego cheese aged for 6 months.  The more mature cheese acquires a caramel and nutty flavor with a slight acidity.

Viejo - Manchego cheese aged for a year becomes drier and crumbly in texture while the interior of the cheese acquires a butterscotch color. It has a sweet, lingering taste.  This is the cheese usually stocked in our shops, although we can get younger if it is required.

Baby Manchegos are availalable and measure 12.5cm x 10 cm 

ALLERGENS:EGG (The rind on the baby manchego's are washed in an egg white solution - the standard one we stock does not have this but occasionally suppliers will send us a different make if ours isn't available - we do not recommend this cheese for egg allergy sufferers)