You would think that with the long tradition of Welsh sheep farming that there would be more ewe's milk cheeses from Wales on the market, but they still remain pretty rare. Thank goodness then for Brefu Bach – Welsh for 'little bleat' – the creation of former grassland scientist turned cheesemaker Carrie Rimes at Ffarm Moelyci in the foothills of Snowdonia.
Brefu Bach is a soft mould-ripened cheese with a delicate creamy sweetness and a moussey, fluffy texture something like fromage frais, made from the raw milk of local traditional breeds, including a small flock of organic grass-fed Friesland-Lleyn ewes. Interestingly, the rennet used to make the curds is an extract of the Mediterranean cardoon thistle, which works best with goat and ewe milk and has been used for centuries in traditional Portuguese cheeses.
Like those cheeses, Brefu Bach is soft and spreadable and it develops a thin rind dotted with spots of blue, green and grey wild moulds, which often develop on the surface during maturation and give it a delicate nutty undertone.
Brefu Bach was briefly a visitor to the shop a couple of years back when we were encouraging customers to check out some of the artisan producers who had been hit hard by the pandemic and we're delighted to stock it again. Drop in for a sample – it's no baaaa-d!