Just off the west coast of Scotland, the Isle of Mull is a popular tourist destination with plenty of attractions like Duart Castle, Tobermory Distillery, and even natural spectacles like Aros Park. But in addition to excellent things to do and places to visit, turophiles have much to look forward to. Specifically, the Isle of Mull’s award-winning cheese, farm shops and local produce.
Here are the prominent cheeses you can look forward to tasting while on the Isle of Mull, as well as the top places to try the cheeses of Inner Hebrides.
Prominent Cheeses on the Isle of Mull
Generations of artisan cheesemaking families on the Isle of Mull have been taking local milk and fermenting the tastiest cheeses in the Scottish Isles. Here are the cheeses you can look forward to trying while on this famed Hebridean Isle.
Isle of Mull Cheddar
Isle of Mull Cheddar comes in many different types and flavours, depending on the farm shop, you go to sample this exquisite cheese made from unpasteurised milk. Nevertheless, you can expect rich and creamy cheese with a crumbly texture. Experience a cheese with notes of mustard and a slight boozy tang year round.
Hebridean Blue Cheese
Hebridean Blue Cheese is an indulgent blue cheese that will surprise even an experienced turophile with its robust and mature taste. This Highlander cheese is whole salt, complete acid, and packed heat, so don’t expect it to pull any punches when you sample it on your next visit.
Its strength makes it a beloved cheese that pairs excellently with loaves, crackers, and a few wee drams of your favourite whisky.
Farmhouse Cheddar
An Isle of Mull Farmhouse Cheddar is a delicious full-flavoured cheese that offers cheese lovers a drier but savoury cheese that perfectly complements a day out. This famed farmhouse cheddar is made using raw cow’s milk and animal rennet, giving the cheddar a full-bodied taste with a boozy finish.
This cheddar is matured for 14 – 16 months before you can indulge in its texture, which pairs well with a lunchtime picnic of food and drinks.
Isle of Mull Waxed Flavells
For a more portable and on-the-go cheddar, try the Isle of Mull’s Waxed Flavells – the Isle’s hearty cheddar that’s been coated in wax, giving it a drier and more crumbly texture than if you have the Isle of Mull Cheddar by itself.
Enjoy the original, plain Flavell or try the Waxed Flavell with something extra hidden within it – Tobermory’s very own Ledaig Whisky! Combine your favourite flavours of cheese and drink when you purchase one of the Isle’s best Waxed Flavells. It’s a regular fan favourite for visitors.
Sgriob-Ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery
Sustainability is a significant factor in the Isle of Mull and its businesses, and Sgriob-Ruadh Farm Shop and Distillery prides itself on using renewable resources to make its produce for over 50 years. This to-it-ourself attitude makes this cheese farm shop one of the top places to stop while on the Isle, and you can find this local hot spot just outside of Tobermory.
Sgriob-Ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery is the only dairy farming shop making cheese on the Isle of Mull today and was started by the Reade family in the 1980s. Today, this dairy farming family milks 130 cows to create a wide range of excellent cheeses. We’ve mentioned some here, but this dairy farm offers excellent farmhouse cheddar, Hebridean blue cheese, and their own Isle of Mull cheese biscuits.
You can indulge in these fine cheeses at the dairy farm’s very own Glass Barn & Cafe, with a stock of exemplary menus of delicious foods for you to try. It’s the best place to try the farm’s variety of local produce and learn about how this family business has grown and makes its excellent cheese and whisky.
Sgriob-Ruadh’s Glass Barn is open seasonally, but especially from April to October when the Isle of Mull fills with tourists. Opening times for this cafe are Sunday – Thursday, between 10:00 – 16:00.
Other Cheese Shops & Cheese Tastings in Scotland
