SPOTLIGHT ON CORRA LINN, OUR AWARD-WINNING SHEEP’S MILK CHEESE
Corra Linn is made using a cheddar-style recipe that we’ve been refining for years with the help of cheesemaker Val Bines. After warming the milk and adding starter cultures, we wait for the pH to drop before adding rennet. These days we use a vegetable rennet—importing lamb rennet from France became impossible after Brexit.
Sheep’s milk sets very quickly because of its high casein content, often in under 20 minutes. Once set, the curd is cut into cubes and slowly scalded by hand, stirring gently to separate it from the whey and reduce the moisture.
When the whey is drained, the curds are cut into blocks, stacked and left to retain their warmth and develop acidity. Once they reach the right level, they go through the curd mill, are salted, then pressed into moulds. After pressing, the young cheeses are dipped briefly in very hot water to seal them, brushed with Supernature rapeseed oil, and wrapped in muslin before pressing again.
The cheeses mature slowly on wooden shelves at 10–12°C. We turn them weekly at first, then every fortnight, rubbing down the rinds as they develop. Some batches ripen faster than others, so we grade every cheese before deciding when it’s ready. Corra Linn is usually aged between 8 and 18 months, depending on how it develops.
You’ll often find it on our menus at the Barn—our pork burgers are a favourite, served with a slice of Corra Linn on top.
Corra Linn won a Super Gold at the 2024 World Cheese Awards—an achievement we’re very proud of.
Try some Corra Linn for yourself ↓
Description:
Corra Linn is a raw milk, cloth-bound cheddar-style cheese made from the milk of our ewes. The cheese has a firm, crumbly texture and a smooth, sweet, tangy flavour. The cloth-bound process gives Corra Linn its distinctive rind and imparts a natural, earthy flavour. The cheese matures over several months, developing adeep, nutty character with grassy notesthat reflect the environment in which the ewes are raised.
Corra Linn is named after a waterfall at New Lanark.
How it’s made:
Corra Linn is made using raw milk from our ewes, preserving all the natural flavours of the milk. The process begins by heating the milk and adding cultures, then the rennet to form the curds. After the curds are cut and scalded, the whey is drained and blocks of curd are piled high until the required acidity is reached. The curds are then milled and salted before being pressed into the cloth-lined moulds where they are pressed overnight. The following day they are wrapped in muslin cloth and placed on wooden shelves in the cheese store. This cloth maturation process allows the cheese to develop a natural rind, while the internal texture becomes firm and slightly crumbly. The cheese is aged in a cool, humid environment, allowing it to mature slowly, drawing out its nutty, sharp flavours. Corra Linn is made in small batches, ensuring that each wheel reflects the quality of the land and the ewes that produce the milk.
CORRA LINN was awarded ‘Super Gold’ at the 2025/26 World Cheese Awards.
Tasting notes:
Texture: firm, crumbly
Palate: nutty, subtle sweetness, grass, earthy
Pairings + Accompaniments
Food: quince paste, proscuitto, olives, crackers or crusty bread, beetroot jam
Wine:
Sangiovese Chianti - the earthy flavour and tannins from the wine cling to the protein in the cheese enhancing the sour-cherry fruit flavour of the wine and richness of the cheese.
Monstable Chardonnay – the high acidity of the wine cuts through the fatiness of the cheese cleansing the palate.
Beer: IPA (Merlin’s or Stewarts IPA)
Please email for alternative sizes or requirements and we will email you payment link to order hello@erringtonsbarn.co.uk