My wife Margaret and I visited the region in France to see if it were possible to make a similar cheese here in Ireland.\u00a0 We were very well received and after a lot of discussion we ordered what equipment would be needed.<\/p>\n
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On our return home we set about converting an old stone building in where the twins\u2019 great-grandmother would have made her butter!\u00a0 She was a dairy instructress many years ago. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A chance encounter at a farm we visited in France brought us our cheese maker, Julien Rouillaud, who helped us make the first cheese in July 2004.\u00a0\u00a0 I must admit to being hooked on the actual process of turning our milk into huge 40 kg wheels of cheese.<\/p>\n
In our first year we made a small amount, less than 1000kg as we were not sure how it would turn out.\u00a0 Julien however proved himself to be an exceptionally competent and skillful cheese maker.\u00a0 At only 24 years of age he had an unbelievable knowledge of his craft.\u00a0 Without him I do not believe our cheese would have been as good as it is.<\/p>\n
As we only make\u00a0Glebe Brethan<\/span>in the summer months when the cows are eating grass it was possible for Julien to return the following year and get production started again.\u00a0 This time I paid particular attention to everything he was doing and continued cheese making when he returned to his home.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The first week was extremely stressful \u2013 lots of telephone calls to Julien were the norm every week.\u00a0\u00a0 As time went on I became more confident and began to enjoy the process.\u00a0 Julian is still in regular contact with us.<\/p>\n As the years have moved on we have changed over from direct sales of our cheese at Farmers Markets.\u00a0 They were both time consuming and exhausting.\u00a0 We now supply a few distributors \u2013 Sheridan\u2019s and Traditional Cheese Company.\u00a0 We still supply a number of shops and restaurants ourselves which is good to get feedback from the public and the chefs.<\/p>\n We are increasing production every year, but only at a pace that feels comfortable.\u00a0 Also the export market is important to us, with cheese going to the UK and Holland on a regular basis.\u00a0 A few weeks ago we took part in a Bord Bia promotion in Selfridges in London along with a lot of other small high quality Irish food producers. Thanks to the magnificent work of the Bord Bia London staff we are now listed as one of their cheese suppliers. This is a wonderful opportunity for a small business like ours. Thanks to them and\u00a0Sheridan\u2019s cheesemongers we now have the chance to grow our export market.<\/p>\n As Margaret and I are the third generation of Tiernans to work this farm we are very proud of our cheese. I am sure my grandmother gets a kick out of it too!\u00a0 For now it seems as though our sons will pursue separate careers so we will keep going ourselves for another few years anyway.<\/p>\n Please see\u00a0website\u00a0<\/a>for list of awards won.<\/p>\n Tiernan Family Farm<\/p>\n Glebe House, Dunleer, Co.Louth.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/images\/stories\/dt-building.jpg\")
It really is a wonderful feeling each morning walking the cows up to be milked and knowing that by midday we will have two more wheels of beautiful cheese in our cellar.\u00a0 And you never know who is going to be eating it!\u00a0 In the past few years our cheese has been presented to both Prince Charles while he was in Belfast and to the Queen, on her visit to Dublin.<\/p>\n