Dutch farmhouse cheese

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About Dutch farmhouse cheese

Dutch farmhouse cheese is a company with a local service area.

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Raw milk, on the farm, from the farmer’s own herd. A protected designation with strict conditions.

What the rules say

The milk may not be heated above forty degrees, must come from the farm itself, and the cheese must be made on site. That is set down in European law.

Why raw milk matters

Pasteurisation kills bacteria, including those that develop flavour during ageing. A year-old farmhouse cheese therefore tastes noticeably different from factory cheese of the same age.

The season

Cheese from summer milk, when the cows are outside, is yellower and different in taste from winter cheese. Cheesemakers point this out themselves.

The mark

Boerenkaas carries a round casein mark in the rind with a number. That is the control, and it is visible on a whole wheel.

Where to buy

Directly at the farm, or from cheese shops working with fixed producers. The Green Heart has the highest density.

Where to look

Farm shops between Woerden, Oudewater and Bodegraven.