Local Food Hero
The Burns Family,
Duhallow, County Cork
The Burns family founded the Ardrahan herd of
pedigree Friesian cattle 80 years ago in Duhallow,
County Cork. Twenty-five years ago, another
generation began using their milk to make yogurt
and cheese, creating what has come to be one of
Ireland’s most highly regarded and widely exported
farmhouse cheeses.
Mary Burns and her son Gerald
continue to breed all replacement
stock for the herd, producing milk
year-round to make the aromatic
washed-rind, buttery-textured,
semisoft Ardrahan cheese – indisputably
one of the great flavors of Ireland.
They also produce Duhallow,
a mild semisoft cheese, and an
innovative new product, Lullaby milk.
Because cows milked before
daybreak have naturally high levels
of melatonin, a natural substance
that regulates human sleep/wake
cycles, Lullaby milk is said to be
one of the most natural sleeping
draughts in the world.
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