Appenzeller Surchoix

Appenzeller has a beautifully smooth and creamy texture with a fantastic fruity flavour and a little spice. It is tangy and slightly nutty and each cheese has hints of the aromatic herbs and spices from the top secret recipe it has been brined in.
Raw Cow's Milk
Matured for 4 to 5 months in Switzerland, followed by an additional 1-4 months in our Cambridge cellars
Traditional Rennet
Pregnancy Friendly
Certified Lactose Free
£12.60

Size

The History, Dairy & Farm, Animals & Maker

Appenzeller is a Swiss Gruyère style cheese that has been in production for over 700 years and is made in the Appenzell region of Northeast Switzerland. The dairy’s headquarters are at Salesis House in Postplatz. The building itself dates back to the 16th Century when it was rebuilt after a fire, though is named after the governor of Appenzell who was instated after Napoleon’s invasion in the early 19th Century. The dairy’s offices and cheese shop have been based here permanently since 1996, in the heart of the Appenzell region.

The dairy uses milk from small family farms whose Brown Swiss cows graze on the rolling hills between Lake Constance and the Santis mountain range on rich, herbal meadows, which results in very flavoursome milk. The cows must be pasture fed and are not allowed any silage in their diet to ensure the best quality milk.

Appenzeller cheese is washed weekly in a secret recipe brine made with herbs and spices, which all grow locally, and give the cheese its iconic taste.

Sustainability

The milk that goes into Appenzeller Surchoix cannot come from industrial farms and is sourced exclusively from small, family owned and run farms which have strict breeding and dietary regulations that put the animal’s welfare first. The carbon footprint of free range cows is significantly lower than their barn kept counterparts as food doesn’t need to be grown for them elsewhere and so there are very few, if any, food miles involved in their feeding.