Local cheese with big ambitions

We’ve all lived with the charge that Ottawa’s a boring city. That it’s not Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. As if stating the monumentally obvious makes the case even more strongly for how boring Ottawa is.

If we’re talking about nightlife, you can perhaps make that argument but I’m past my clubbing years and in my line of work, there’s always something new to discover.

In our corner of the world, we have some seriously talented food and drink artisans at work and there’s plenty that can rightfully be called world class.

It was while pursuing another story that I came across Glengarry Fine Cheese and eventually met owner and cheesemaker Margaret Peters Morris.

I was impressed by her products and it came as no surprise that she’s won numerous awards, including international ones, over the decades for a variety of her cheeses.

In Ottawa Glengarry cheeses are available at International Cheese, Jacobsons, Ottawa Bagel Shop and at McCartney’s Distribution which is wholesale but open to the public.

It was a happy day that I tried a washed rind taleggio (Italian semi-soft) at Wood Brothers Brewing. What I didn’t know at the time was that Margaret makes two versions, one is for Wood Brothers exclusively using their very own beer in the process. Both are excellent with the beer washed version being a little more robust.

If you’re a cheese lover, you’ll have landed in your comfort zone and will do well trying all her cheeses. These products are true to style and not just approximations.

Take for example the aged Lankaaster, a firm gouda with an appealing toffee note that pairs so well with sourdough bread, beer and a variety of red wines. Or the Iron Horse which is a clothbound Scottish cheddar style cheese that has a long finish and a lot of umami punch.

If you are a fan of artisanal butter, you won’t do any better than Margaret’s Thistledown cultured butter. At 84 percent butter fat it’s softer than commercially made butter and the taste is sweeter and more elegant.

What I’ve learned is that our region is rich with great food and drink. It’s worth exploring, not just for your own edification, but for those friends you’ll be entertaining over the dinner table with the local bounty.

The interview

To find out more about the fine cheeses from Glengarry, I sat down with Margaret to find out a little bit about how she started in the business, and what keeps her going.

Ralf Joneikies: You started in cheesemaking 25 years ago. What was the impetus that started you on this path? Was it just a love for cheese or did you come from a dairy farming family and cheese was just a natural extension?

Margaret Peters Morris: I worked for a company that was importing cheese during my trading career and mentioned some of the particulars of cheese import to my father who was a dairy farmer. He suggested to me that I make some cheese from our milk. He said, “You’re good in science and your culinary skills are good, so you should try experimenting.” Lo and behold, everything started with this comment of my father’s in the early 1990s.

RJ: Can you talk a little about your training?

MPM: I trained under Dr. Art Hill at the last cheese production licensed courses given at the time in Kemptville college [in 1994]. After this I took my training further and went to the Netherlands, UK and France to train with mentors at various on-farm production cheese plants to learn more about fine cheesemaking in different technologies to broaden my skill set.

RJ: What is one of the more challenging aspects of cheesemaking?

MPM: At the time I started, it was finding the supplies to make cheese. As a result, the development of the cheese supply business started simultaneously with the farmstead cheese production. These two businesses are the roots of Glengarry Cheesemaking Inc.

RJ: Can you describe the differences between bloomed, washed rind and hard cheeses?

MPM: Bloomy cheeses are usually soft cheeses where the rind is involved in ripening the cheese. These cheeses are usually consumed before three months of aging.

Washed rinds are usually more of a semi-soft cheese whereby the rind and the paste are encouraged to ripen quicker through treating the rind with specific yeasts and rind developing cultures that are part of the wash [which is a brine solution]. These are typically made on a schedule of more washes in the early stage of ripening, decreasing as the cheese reaches its full-aged peak.

Hard cheeses are pressed cheeses meant to age mid- to long-term. They are the most complex of the cheeses made in artisan and on-farm production. This is where our facilities create some very interesting cheeses as we take the time to develop these fine aged cheeses and we have the capacity to do so.

RJ: Over the years, how many different types of cheeses have you made?

MPM: We now make ten varieties, yet have made equally as many for other plants as research and development for their production. We can make pretty well any type of cheese, yet we choose to specialize in more European styles.

RJ: The Lankaaster seems to be your signature cheese. Is this your top seller or are there others?

MPM: Yes this one and our Celtic blue cheeses are the top sellers. They have both won awards at the highest level.

RJ: Are your cheeses on any restaurant menus in Ottawa or Toronto?

MPM: Yes they are. These markets are always changing but in Ottawa they have been brought in by the Chateau Laurier, The Westin, and the Shaw Centre. They are also served at a variety of Government of Canada events.

RJ: What is the best method for storing cheeses?

MPM: At home in the refrigerator typically in a Tupperware type box to give the cheese additional protection to the wrapping, to conserve the humidity of the cheese and its overall wellness.

Suggested stories

• Wood Brothers is the destination of the year

• A French rosé for light summer lunches

• This Sicilian white wine is terrific for soft cheeses and grilled seafood

• Unbeatable Chianti value for your cheese board