Cambus O’May Launches PFN Bid

The cheese in question, Cambus O’May, is a two day curd cheese which has been hand-pressed into a muslin cloth bandage to produce a creamy, melt in the mouth texture and rustic mountain flavours.

The bid was announced by Richard Lochhead, Scottish cabinet secretary, who said, “Scotland is world-famous for our wonderful food and drink, and people want to know they are buying the real deal. Achieving PFN status for Cambus O’May cheese will ensure that consumers at home and abroad have a one hundred per cent guarantee of the product’s authenticity.

“Cambus O’May is an unpasteurised cheese, with a recipe that dates back for generations, and is the only one of its kind in Scotland. The PFN scheme can benefit producers of brands synonymous with Scotland by providing them with recognition of their product and safeguarding it from imitation, and I would encourage more producers in Scotland to look at taking this forward.”

If successful, the cheese will join the likes of Arbroath Smokies and Scotch Beef in the list of protected Scottish foods.

Alex Reid, managing director of Cambus O’May Cheese Co. said, “PFN status for Cambus O’May cheese will play a big part in preserving the unique heritage of this cheese which was lost for a generation – the cheese was a mainstay of farmhouse life in the North East of Scotland in the past. We hope that the cheese and the unique manner in which it was produced with the very best of local natural ingredients can be protected and preserved by the granting of PFN status.

“The designation would be reward to the efforts of our staff to replicate the methods of old and reintroduce the cheese to our regional customers. It’s a widely recognized food status designation so will be important in marketing our cheese to the wider UK and International markets where product provenance and certification of quality are essential.

“At a time when the Scottish Dairy industry is facing significant challenge it would be a welcome piece of good news and recognition of the unique quality of Scottish Dairy products.”