New West Dorset cheese is launched at Lyme vodka bar

Black Cow Vodka, which is based in part of the old Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis, held a launch event for a new Beaminster-made cheese.

Jason Barber from Beaminster, a fifth-generation dairy farmer, is behind the White Star Cheese.

Jason Barber (Image: Hollie Carr)

We were invited to try the cheese, which has been created from the milk of Jason’s herd of 250 grass-grazed cows.

I am a huge cheese fan, so I jumped at the opportunity to sample the tasters in front of me. This included a 14-day old version and a 90-day old version to compare.

Jason offering samples from the cheese board (Image: Hollie Carr)

Personally, I loved the 90-day old version, it was creamy with a strong yet clean taste and left you wanting more.

There was also the opportunity to sample some of the cheddar which was deliciously smooth and creamy with a mature quality and so much more flavourful than one you may find in the supermarket.

During the event there were two opportunities to sample the cheese.

White Star Cheese sample (Image: White Star Cheese)

Jason said: “In both tasting groups, half the people liked the 90 days and half the people liked the 14 day - I think everyone has quite enjoyed it.”

He said his family ‘are the oldest cheddar cheese makers in the world.’

Alongside the cheese, we were given a Strawberry Spritz cocktail which was made up of the Black Cow and English Strawberries vodka, topped with soda water and garnished with ‘wonky’ strawberries, as well as a leaf of mint.

Strawberry Spritz (Image: Hollie Carr)

Vodka is by far my drink of choice (as well as the occasional gin), and when I tried the drink alongside the cheese, I understand why they paired the two together – It was delicious.

The sweetness of the strawberry vodka paired with soda water was lovely and there wasn’t the normal burn that you often get when drinking other brands – which Jason explained was because it was made from milk.

The idea came about to create White Star during lockdown as Jason was looking for something to do with his two sons and he described it as ‘a nice thing to do with them,’ he also has a love for soft cheese.

His sons who are 12 and 14 will often accompany him to shows where he is selling cheese and vodka.

Black Cow Vodka (Image: Hollie Carr)

With regard to the 90-day old cheese, Jason said: “People have got to be educated about cheese that you shouldn’t be scared of a use by date and if it goes over either bake it.”

Despite the wonderful launch event which saw all eyes on the cheese maker, Jason spent his morning in true down-to-earth farming fashion ‘running around looking for rakes so that he could turn the grass over and dry it to make sileage,’ adding ,‘the last thing I want is to be haunted by bad sileage through the winter.’

The Black Cow Saloon opened in Broad Street in the former Regent Cinema building last year and is the perfect seaside venue for grabbing a couple of cocktails with friends and family.

The cocktail bar offers a selection of delightful cocktails including an elderflower and cucumber one (my personal favourite), a selection of martinis and many more exquisite tastes.

Elderflower and cucumber cocktail in the busy bar (Image: Hollie Carr)

At the heart of Black Cow's ethos is ‘a love for West Dorset, a respect for the environment and a commitment to zero waste.’

The creation of Black Cow White Star means that the business is determined to stick to their zero waste ethos where the milk's curds are transformed into cheese, and the remaining whey is distilled into vodka.

This process underscores the brand's commitment to using every drop of milk from their herd of grass-grazed cows.

Overall, it was a wonderful evening in a beautiful location complete with delicious cheese, cocktails and popcorn.