Cotton Field

Cotton Field is a soft cheese made from 100% pasteurized sheep milk, ripened for about three weeks with a secret blend of cultures. It is named for its soft white rind, which recalls a field of cotton.

Sheep milk

Wine pairing: Dry rosé

Its inspiration

A soft, delicate sheep milk cheese, in a style between a young tomme and Brie. It is named for the soft white coat that develops on it — a look that recalls a soft white field of cotton spread across the land.

Making and ripening

Made from 100% pasteurized sheep milk, ripened for about three weeks under controlled conditions. During ripening a soft white coat develops, thanks to the dairy’s secret blend of cultures. The white rind is edible and an inseparable part of the cheese — it is best eaten together with the centre.

Taste and aromas

Sheep milk gives a rich body, a round mouthfeel and a natural milky sweetness. Alongside the richness, the flavour stays delicate and fresh, with farmyard aromas and light herbal notes — the short ripening lets the natural character of the milk stay centre stage.

Serving suggestion

Take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving, and cut into wedges that include both the rind and the heart of the cheese. Ideal for a fresh cheese board, with baguette, country bread or delicate crackers, and with apples, pears, grapes, fresh vegetables, nuts or a little honey; also good in salads, sandwiches and light dishes.

“Some cheeses are born from an attempt to translate an existing tradition, and some are born from a meeting between two traditions. “Cotton Field” was created exactly there — in the connection between Tomme fraîche, a young, fresh cheese from the tomme family, and the delicacy, creaminess and white coat associated with Brie.

I wanted to create a cheese that would combine body and texture with softness and freshness: a cheese with the rustic character of a tomme, but also the delicacy and bloomy rind of a Brie. To do this I adapted the making process to our local sheep milk, which gives the cheese a rich texture, a deep flavour and a natural milky sweetness.

As it ripens, a soft white coat develops on the surface of the cheese. Its look reminded me of a field of cotton — a white, delicate, quiet expanse — and so its name was born: “Cotton Field”.

Beneath the white coat is a cheese that changes over time. When young, its centre is firm and fresh; as it ripens, the texture becomes softer and creamier from the rind inwards, and the flavours deepen. Sheep milk gives it presence and richness, while the white rind keeps it elegant and delicate.

For me, “Cotton Field” is a cheese of meeting — between tomme and Brie, between a French tradition and Galilean sheep milk, and between its delicate appearance and the rich character revealed inside.”

— Naomi Richard Stein, certified Master Cheesemaker, GVINAGE