The Story
Cornish Yarg — a semi-hard cow's milk cheese wrapped in hand-picked stinging nettle leaves, made by Lynher Dairies near Truro in Cornwall. The nettle leaves are applied by hand to the outside of the young cheese, where they form an edible, natural rind as the cheese matures. The leaves create the distinctive mosaic pattern that makes Yarg immediately recognisable — grey-green, lacy and slightly mouldy in appearance, with the impression of individual nettle leaves clearly visible across the surface.
The name comes from Alan Gray — Yarg is Gray spelled backwards — who, along with his wife Jenny, began making the cheese in the early 1980s from a recipe found in their attic. Production eventually passed to Lynher Dairies, who have made it their own and turned Cornish Yarg into one of the most recognised modern British cheeses. The cheese is made from pasteurised local Cornish milk and aged for several weeks. The texture varies across the cut: directly beneath the nettle rind it is creamy, soft and almost oozing at room temperature, while the centre is firmer, crumblier and more chalky. This contrast is deliberate and is one of the things that makes Yarg interesting to eat. The flavour is fresh, clean and lightly lemony with a mild mushroomy, earthy note from the nettle rind. It is not a strong cheese — it is gentle, bright and approachable, with just enough character from the nettles to lift it beyond a plain semi-hard.
Origin: Ponsanooth, Cornwall, England
Ingredients: Pasteurised cow's milk, salt, animal rennet, stinging nettle leaves.
Storage: Refrigerate. Use within a week of cutting. Bring to room temperature before eating — the creamy layer beneath the rind only develops its full texture when warm.
Allergens: Milk.
Details & Craftsmanship
Every detail has been carefully considered to bring you the perfect product.
Description
Cornish Yarg — a semi-hard cow's milk cheese wrapped in hand-picked stinging nettle leaves, made by Lynher Dairies near Truro in Cornwall. The nettle leaves are applied by hand to the outside of the young cheese, where they form an edible, natural rind as the cheese matures. The leaves create the distinctive mosaic pattern that makes Yarg immediately recognisable — grey-green, lacy and slightly mouldy in appearance, with the impression of individual nettle leaves clearly visible across the surface.
The name comes from Alan Gray — Yarg is Gray spelled backwards — who, along with his wife Jenny, began making the cheese in the early 1980s from a recipe found in their attic. Production eventually passed to Lynher Dairies, who have made it their own and turned Cornish Yarg into one of the most recognised modern British cheeses. The cheese is made from pasteurised local Cornish milk and aged for several weeks. The texture varies across the cut: directly beneath the nettle rind it is creamy, soft and almost oozing at room temperature, while the centre is firmer, crumblier and more chalky. This contrast is deliberate and is one of the things that makes Yarg interesting to eat. The flavour is fresh, clean and lightly lemony with a mild mushroomy, earthy note from the nettle rind. It is not a strong cheese — it is gentle, bright and approachable, with just enough character from the nettles to lift it beyond a plain semi-hard.
Origin: Ponsanooth, Cornwall, England
Ingredients: Pasteurised cow's milk, salt, animal rennet, stinging nettle leaves.
Storage: Refrigerate. Use within a week of cutting. Bring to room temperature before eating — the creamy layer beneath the rind only develops its full texture when warm.
Allergens: Milk.
