Cheshire and Zingerman’s History, Intertwined
The original Cheshire recipe dates back to the Roman Empire, and it’s been made ever since. 16th century
historian John Speed called it “the best cheese in all Europe.” Until the middle of the 20th century, Cheshire—
not cheddar—was the most popular British cheese, which is hard to believe looking at today’s cheddar-centric
cheese counters. Cheshire differs from cheddar in that it is younger, tarter, and more crumbly.
John Loomis, cheesemaker and managing partner at the Creamery, waited patiently for years to start making
this cheese again. He first brought it to Ann Arbor in the 1980s while working with his siblings to establish a
creamery here. In a bit of mostly lost-in-the-shadows Ann Arbor history, they built a small creamery half a
mile from the Deli over on Felch Street. Having grown up with family members working in what John calls “the
Farmer Jack Dairies” in Detroit, the Loomises had long hoped to make cheese here. So, John worked with Leon
Downey in Wales for a few months in 1989. Leon had left the Halle Orchestra in London to make his own
version of Cheshire, which he called Llangloffan. What John brought back to Ann Arbor was his American
adaptation of Cheshire. We used to sell a lot of it here at the Deli. But to some degree, the Loomises were
ahead of their time and, sadly, they weren’t able to make a financial success out of the business. They shut their
little dairy down back in 1993.
Having stuck with his dream through those hard personal times in the early 90s, John was engaged and inspired
by the Zingerman’s 2009 vision. In many ways, John and his commitment to making great cheese were just
what we had in mind when we wrote the vision – find someone like John who had a passion for crafting cheese
and create the opportunity to own part of a business where he could make a living off of his passion. That’s
how we came to open Zingerman’s Creamery a decade ago. We started with fresh cheeses, and in 2007, John
began the work to bring Cheshire back. The first wheels were great and, given our commitment to continuous
improvement, I had high hopes for the future. Those hopes have come true, as I’m really impressed with the
wheels coming out of our aging room lately.
Raw Dutch-Belted Cow’s Milk – the Key to the Cheshire’s Flavor
John is particularly jazzed about the Cheshire because it’s a raw milk cheese; I’d guess that when the Loomises
began making it back in ’89 it was the first raw milk cheese in Washtenaw County for probably a good fifty
or sixty years. We’ve long been focused on the fuller flavors that tend to go with raw milk cheeses. Unlike the
Creamery’s other cheeses, which are “fresh” (aged from one day to a month), the Great Lakes Cheshire is aged
for over 60 days. This is the magic mark set by the government for making cheese from raw milk.
As John likes to say, you can make bad cheese from good milk, but you can’t make good cheese from bad
milk. With that in mind, we are always looking for the best milk we can find, while also ensuring that we work
with farmers who don’t treat their animals with hormones. On that note, a recent improvement to the Cheshire
comes from making it with Dutch-Belted cow’s milk. Dutch-Belted cows are extremely rare in the U.S. (there
are slightly more than 200 herds). The milk is unique because of its high butterfat and protein content and the
way in which the butterfat globules bond to one another. The bonds are small, creating a supremely dense, rich
curd. Originating in the Alps, Dutch-Belted cows gained great popularity in Scandinavia until finally being
introduced to the U.S.
We get this milk from Andy Schneider’s dairy farm in Westphalia (northwest of Lansing). Andy takes pains to
produce milk that is significantly better than the norm. The calves drink their mother’s milk for ten months or
until the mother kicks them off the teat, and the Creamery only gets the excess that the calves can’t drink. In the
interest of economy, dairy farmers usually put the calves on formula and sell all the milk the mothers produce.
Giving calves the milk that was intended for them creates an extremely healthy herd and allows the Schneiders
to milk them for many years longer than normal. This is perfect for rich, complex cheeses that allow the natural
flavor of this milk to come through.
The Best Part – Eating It!
Great Lakes Cheshire is a classic eating cheese. Cheshire farmers have long taken it out into the fields with
them, wrapped in little more than a bit of white cloth; Welsh miners would have done the same to have
something to eat underground. Ploughman’s Lunch would be the proper British name I think.
The Great Lakes Cheshire is also excellent on a toasted cheese sandwich, which is known in Britain as Welsh
Rabbit or Rarebit. It consists of a creamy cheese sauce made with mustard, beer, and a bit of cayenne or
Worcestershire blended with some grated Cheshire, that’s then served bubbly, hot and lightly browned over
toast. If you’re curious about the name, the theory is that the Welsh were so poor that they referred to cheese
as “their rabbit” since they couldn’t afford to have actual meat very often. You can also eat the Cheshire with
a good apple or pear. For a heartier snack, serve it with good salami from the Deli or the Creamery. Or of
course, you can just grab a hunk of the Great Lakes Cheshire from the Deli or the Creamery and eat it like it is.
It’s a darned good cheese and a cool piece of history to bring back ‘round—raw milk and really good to eat.
Matt’s Pick
Jonathan’s Pick
Vanessa’s Pick
Ariel’s Pick
A 24-hour trip around the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
Not all the wheels that bear the world famous Parmigiano-Reggiano name are created equal. There are big differences from one to the next. This one is made by a dairy nearly 2,000 feet up in the hills outside of Modena, Italy. The high altitude makes for plenty of diversity in the grasses, herbs and flowers growing in the cow’s pastures. This means that the milk – and therefore your cheese – is full of the pastures’ complex flavors. The wheels are aged for a 
minimum of two years (33% longer than the Consorzio minimum). Most important, the finished cheese has a really rich, wonderfully complex flavor with a lovely, long finish. None of that bitterness or mouthburn that often mars the final flavor of others. Wrapped well, it lasts for weeks. Stop by the Deli for a taste of this world famous cheese (it’s easy to spot, there’s a small mountain of it.)
