The Best Curd in Cottage Country
Empire Cheese Cooperative
When visiting Campbellford most folks know the first stop while in town should be the local cheese factory – Empire Cheese. Their delicious selection of cheese and mouth-watering curd is top shelf if you are a cheese connoisseur.
Built on a proud history beginning in the late 1870’s, the Empire Cheese Co-op is the only cheese manufacturing plant operating in Northumberland County, and the first one east of Toronto.
At Empire Cheese a fan favourite is their curd. Cheese curd has been enjoyed for centuries – the ancient Romans enjoyed a dish called globuli, which is basically fried curds. The recipe consisted of dredging the curds in semolina flour, frying them in olive oil, then rolling them in honey. 21st century Canadians are obsessed with poutine, and while there are many twists on this tasty dish, the original poutine calls for curd.
A time-honoured tradition, curd-making truly is an art and Mark Erwin, the main cheese maker at Empire Cheese since 2008. The key ingredient is fresh, locally sourced milk and the five-hour process begins with the milk being added to a large vat. A culture with good activity and flavour is selected and added to the milk and the mixture is cooked slowly to about 37.7 °C, after which the whey is drained off. Next, several mechanical turns give the cheese its body. It then goes through a milling machine to cut the cheese into those long stringy pieces we all enjoy. Salt is added as the curd is stirred, then the curd is shoveled into a cart, ready for bagging.
Did you know Empire Cheese produces about 146,000 kgs – or 321,000 lbs – of curd every year!
Saturday mornings are known for their early shoppers who show up bright and early for their very own bag of warm, salty, squeaky curd! Curd is made daily at Empire, but Saturday morning is an early morning local tradition.
Empire cheeses are sold through their factory store, as well as various outlets throughout the area and, as its co-op name suggests, is owned by local dairy farmers who hold an election each year to vote in a Board of Directors to run the factory.
With a selection of cheeses to suit every pallet, there is a cheese to please everyone from young to old, get ready to enjoy 150 years of tradition!
Empire Cheese Factory
www.empirecheese.ca 705 653 3187
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