Les Delices De Cumbria - XXI

Blessed are the cheesemakers. Possibly the finest goat's cheese available to humanity can be found a mere 10-minute walk from my front door at Wardhall, where Lynn and Thomas Balantine Dykes manufacture the delicious Wardhall Blue, a truly pungent sharp and rich example. If you're inclined to aquire a sliver of this lactic heaven for yourself, drive down to Wardhall Guards and ascend the birdleway towards Tallentire Hill. You'll know you're heading in the right direction when strange, satanic sheep and double-horned and dark-browed goats populate the surrounding fields. The dairy itself is a cat-swingingly small room just off the farm-yard guarded by a golden retriever of fierce mien. The cheese it protects is heavenly delight. There are rumours of a soft Brie-like cow's cheese to come in 2008. Watch this space for further artisanal Arkleby cheese updates.