Kerrygold Blarney Castle

Kerrygold Blarney Castle is a semi-hard cheese from the Irish brand Kerrygold, owned by the Ornua co-operative. The maker calls it a Gouda-style cheese and compares it with a young Dutch Gouda. The name refers to Blarney Castle in County Cork.

The cheese is made from pasteurized part-skim cow's milk from grass-fed cows, with salt, cultures and enzymes, and no artificial flavours or additives. It is pale yellow, mild and creamy with velvety notes; the texture is supple, so it slices easily and melts well.

How to use it: serve Blarney with fresh fruit and a crisp white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc; it also suits a cheese board, pizza, pasta, roasted potatoes and cheese balls. Its mild flavour makes it popular with children and good for sandwiches. Keep it in the fridge, tightly wrapped.

Other Kerrygold cheeses include Kerrygold Dubliner, Kerrygold Cheddar and Skellig. By class, Blarney belongs to the semi-hard cheeses, like Gouda, but it is an Irish cheese in that style, not a protected Dutch Gouda.

Why it matters to you: the part-skim milk gives a lighter taste, and the mild profile goes with almost any food.