Dorset Blue Vinny cheese could once be found in nearly every farmhouse in the county. It was an ideal way of using the 'left-over' milk after the cream had been skimmed off for butter-making. As a result, the cheese had a very low fat content and was typically very hard, dry and crumbly, with little or no blue. The blueing in those days was encouraged by a number of methods, for example dragging mouldy horse harnesses through the milk before adding the rennet, storing the cheese on damp hessian bags or even keeping it next to mouldy boots! You may be relieved to know that these methods are no longer in use – instead, the blue is introduced by means of a blue mould solution. Dorset Blue Vinny is made with milk straight from the farm’s own herd of 270 Friesian cows. The cheese can vary according to the time of year, which is a true indication of a handmade product.
