Before World War II, more than 200 British farms made traditional raw-milk Lancashire cheese. But England has lost vast numbers of dairy farms since then, a decline attributable in part to the hardships of wartime and subsequent rationing, and to the poor economics of dairy farming even in peacetime.

Today, the Kirkham family is the country's only remaining producer of unpasteurized Lancashire, a cloth-bound cow's milk cheese fashioned with the milk from their own small herd.

Kirkham's Lancashire, known in some circles as Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire, is now produced by Ruth Kirkham's son Graham, a fourth-generation cheesemaker. Ruth Kirkham rebelled against the industrial processes that neighboring producers succumbed to. She refused to wax her cheeses, as supermarkets requested, knowing that a wax coating would deprive the wheels of air and virtually halt their maturation. Supermarkets like waxed wheels because they don't develop scary-looking molds on their rinds and don't lose moisture. When cheese is sold by the pound, moisture loss means profit loss.

Instead, Kirkham's Lancashire retains its muslin wrap, which allows a wheel to breathe and mature. Early in its life, the clothbound wheel is rubbed with butter to help seal the cheese and protect the rind. This is not an unusual practice for a cheese intended for long aging, although it is more common to use olive oil or even lard to seal hard cheeses.

Another procedure that distinguishes traditional Lancashire, such as Kirkham's, is the combining of the curd from two or more days. Many cheesemakers blend evening and morning milk from their herds and make cheese only once a day. But for his Lancashire, Graham Kirkham mixes the curd from three days before proceeding with the cheesemaking. Once combined, the curds will be milled fine, salted, packed into molds and pressed to expel residual whey. Maturation lasts three to four months.

These methods produce an 18-pound wheel of high acidity and an unusual crumbly texture. The cheese's ivory interior is as buttery and tender as shortbread, all but collapsing at the touch. It may be on the moist or dry side, depending on age, but it will almost surely have a creme fraiche aroma and a lemony tang.

Because of that lactic flavor, the cheese is hard on dry wine. A bitter beer, such as an India Pale Ale, is a better match.

Next up: Carmody Reserve, a raw-milk cheese from Sonoma County's Bellwether Farm.