- Prescott
- Tekenink Tomme
- Hardwick Stone
All three were bought at the same time, at the Clover Hill Country Store in Old Furnace, MA. they were sampled in Plymouth, MA two weeks after they were bought. We drank a lively Giles E. Warner white from Hardwick Winery, very local the the cheesemakers.
All three cheeses are aged, washed-rind cheeses made with raw whole milk from their grass-fed cows.
The Prescott was so mild as to be almost completely without character. We started with that, and were not expecting much from its kin. We were happily surprised!
All four of us preferred the Hardwick Stone and the Tekenink Tomme to the humble Prescott, but we were divided as to which of the two top contenders we like best. They were very different, but both excellent. That's not surprising when you discover they were both medalists at the 2011 Eastern States Exposition!
The Hardwick Stone had a tang to it that was backed up by rich earthy flavors, a real character. The Tekenink Tomme was not as assertive, but equally complex with a delicious hay-grassy flavor close to the rind.
I suppose my favorite would depend upon what I am eating or drinking with it. Both of the favorites went very well with the local wine, but poor Prescott got beaten up by that lively local white.
Robinson's Farm produces a number of other cheeses. The charmingly-named Robinson Family Swiss is frequently seen in markets in the middle of the state, less often closer to Boston. That one never won me over, but I would certainly look for the Hardwick Stone or the Tekenink Tomme again.