Shortly after building the cheese room in the early 1970s, we began making our own version of the celebrated Double Gloucester. The recipe has had a few tweaks over the years, but it still stands as a firm favourite in the Quicke's household.

History of Double Gloucester

Double Gloucester is a traditional, full fat, hard cheese made from the milk of once nearly extinct Old Gloucester cows. Tracing its origins back to 1498 in the City of Gloucester, the cheese is used every spring for the world-famous Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. The cheese rolling competition is a traditional (and not to mention dangerous) sport where people attempt to run down a lengthy, extremely steep Gloucestershire hill (most end up rolling) for the coveted prize of an 8lb Double Gloucester. 

Of course, our Double Devonshire is handmade on our farm in Devon - and we don't suggest you roll yourself down a hill to get one. However, our version has a few other distinct differences...

Make

Handcrafted using milk from our grass-fed Quicke's cows, the cheese goes through the traditional cheddaring process and is clothbound, before naturally maturing for 3-6 months in the cool quiet of our cheese stores.

The flower known as Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum) was responsible for the distinctively yellow colour of Double Gloucester cheese. We, however, use natural annatto - derived from the seeds of the achiote tree - to give this cheese its beautiful golden orange hue.

Unlike the Double Gloucester, the Double Devonshire doesn't have the addition of extra cream. 

Taste

An elegantly mellow, creamy clothbound cheese with a long-lasting taste that has you going back for more. Its short time spent ageing gives it a subtle buttery flavour, perfect for placing on top of a crunchy cracker.

Other red cheeses

We have another red cheese in our range, Devonshire Red - our unique take on a Red Leicester. Both of these cheeses have annatto added in at make, however, Double Devonshire has less annatto than Devonshire Red, giving it a paler colour. The Double Devonshire also has a lower scald (temperature it reaches during make) and is cheddared to a lesser degree than both the Devonshire Red and the cheddars in our range, giving it a creamier, smoother texture. 

How to enjoy

This cheese is suitable for vegetarians and pairs perfectly with a Riesling or Devon scrumpy cider. Display the Double Devonshire truckle as a centrepiece at your summer barbecue and build your feast around it for your guests to graze on.

If you're not throwing a party, our smaller 200g pack of Double Devonshire is equally as delicious enjoyed with a cold glass of wine, reading a book and watching a sunset that matches its golden-orange hue.