Fudgy | Fruity | Crystalline
Old Farmdal is a wonderfully distinctive aged Gouda from Kaasboerderij ’T Groendal in West Flanders, Belgium, made from pasteurised cow's milk and matured for around 9–12 months.
Don't let its relatively modest age fool you. Cut into Old Farmdal and you'll discover a dense yet remarkably fudgy texture, generously scattered with the crunchy tyrosine crystals more commonly associated with cheeses that have spent considerably longer maturing.
The flavour is equally interesting. There's an initial sweetness with rich, ripe stone-fruit character, followed by deeper savoury notes and a gently acidic finish reminiscent of dark chocolate. It's recognisably Gouda, but rather less sweet and caramel-heavy than many aged Dutch examples.
And then there's the small matter of it having been to space.
Why is Old Farmdal known as "Space Cheese"?
Of all the stories we've told about cheeses on our counter, Old Farmdal has one of the more unusual claims to fame.
American astronaut Shannon Walker became such a fan of the cheeses made by ’T Groendal that Old Farmdal was specially sent to her while she was aboard the International Space Station.
Yes, really.
Cheese travelled from a family dairy in Belgium to an astronaut orbiting hundreds of kilometres above Earth.
Unsurprisingly, Old Farmdal subsequently acquired the nickname "Space Cheese" – although thankfully you don't need to travel quite that far to get your hands on some.
What does Old Farmdal taste like?
Expect a rich, fruity and savoury aged Gouda with a satisfyingly dense but creamy, fudgy texture.
The flavour begins with a gentle sweetness and ripe fruit – particularly stone fruit and hints of cherry – before developing deeper savoury characteristics. A slight acidity towards the finish brings to mind dark chocolate and provides a lovely counterpoint to the cheese's richness.
Then there are those crystals.
Tiny crunchy tyrosine crystals are scattered throughout the paste, providing little bursts of texture and making Old Farmdal particularly satisfying to eat.
How to serve Old Farmdal
Take Old Farmdal out of the refrigerator around 30–60 minutes before serving to allow its texture to soften and its more complex flavours to emerge.
It's an excellent cheeseboard cheese and needs very little accompaniment, but try it with:
- Fruit chutney or fig preserve
- Fresh pear or apple
- Dried apricots
- Toasted hazelnuts or walnuts
- Good crackers or crusty bread
- Charcuterie
It's also a cheese that's particularly good simply cut into small chunks and eaten on its own – preferably while contemplating the fact that someone once went to considerably greater lengths to get hold of it.
What to drink with Old Farmdal
The richness and fruitiness of Old Farmdal gives you plenty of pairing possibilities.
Try it alongside a Belgian-style beer, robust ale or darker beer, where the malt character works particularly well with the cheese's sweetness and savoury depth.
For wine, a full-bodied red can work beautifully, while Port or another fortified wine is a particularly good match for the fruit, nuttiness and dark-chocolate character.
Product Details
Cheese: Old Farmdal
Style: Aged Gouda
Producer: Kaasboerderij ’T Groendal
Country: Belgium
Region: West Flanders
Milk: Cow's milk
Milk Treatment: Pasteurised
Rennet: Vegetarian
Age: Approximately 9–12 months
Texture: Dense, fudgy and crystalline
Flavour: Fruity, savoury, gently sweet with a slightly acidic finish
Allergen: Contains milk
Why we like it
Obviously, we're cheesemongers, so telling us that a cheese has been sent into space is going to get our attention.
But a great story only gets a cheese so far.
Thankfully, Old Farmdal more than lives up to its unusual backstory. We love the contrast between its relatively youthful age and the extraordinary number of crunchy crystals running through its fudgy paste. Then there's the flavour – fruity, savoury, slightly sweet and finishing with that intriguing dark-chocolate acidity.
The fact that an astronaut liked it enough to have some sent to the International Space Station?
That's just a rather wonderful bonus.
You could travel a very long way to find a good cheese. In this particular case, someone did.