Needing an outlet for their milk, Mike and Judie developed Old Winchester.  This Gouda-style cheese aged for 18 months; caramelised, smoky and with crystalline crunches. In the New Forest at Lyburn Farm, Mike and Judie Smales have created a modern British classic cheese – Old Winchester. As milk prices fell, Mike and Judie decided they needed an outlet for the milk from their 180 British Friesian cows.  Deciding to make cheese, they went on a one-day Cheddar-making course with Val Bines.  With this basic knowledge the Smales decided to make a Gouda-style (the curd is washed so the cheese ends up slightly more sweet): “When we started to make cheese twelve years ago, we deliberately chose not to make Cheddar for all the obvious reasons, not least there are already quite a lot of them.  So we started with a Gouda-style recipe.” Yet it turned out a bit different from expected.  But not every mistake is bad!  Instead, the amazing Old Winchester was born: a cross between Gouda, Parmesan and Cheddar.  At the Courtyard Dairy it is aged for 18-months to give it a sweet, tangy, crystallised depth.  (It is also known as Old Smales). As well as a great \'table cheese\' Old Winchester works incredibly well as a vegetarian Parmesan replacement as it is made without animal rennet, you will often find chefs using it for vegetarian dishes. This product will have two weeks shelf life from the date of delivery.