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LIVE A LACTEOTOURIST EXPERIENCE IN IZNÁJAR

13-02-2024

Iznájar opens its doors to DIY (Do It Yourself) gastronomy with artisan cheese as the protagonist.

 

The Artisan Cheese Factory La Celada offers travellers the chance to make and take home their own cheese.

 

A gastronomic experience that also unveils its extensive menu of varieties, some of them as peculiar as the cheese matured with chocolate, with Iberian lard or with olive oil.

 

Thousands of hectares of olive trees, many of them centuries old, surround the small village of Iznájar in Córdoba, considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. A sea of olives that has kept its olive-growing tradition intact for generations. Until now, however, Cristóbal Padilla has set out to change course with his business “Quesería Artesana La Celada”, which has not only become known for its varieties of this dairy product - it has one cheese matured with chocolate, or other with Iberian lard, etc. - but also he offers travellers the experience of making their own cheese.

 

A Gastronomic DIY that has the support of the Iznájar town hall and under the slogan ‘Cheesemaker for a day’ begins at the moment 0 of production: feeding its more than 400 goats. The number of goats is increasing every year, although “Quesería La Celada” has had to turn to local producers in order to be able to meet the high demand for cheese production.

 

Couples, friends, small groups... everyone is welcome and guided by this farmer who explains the milking process and its evolution, from how it was done in the past to the changes brought about by today's mechanisation. Once this part is over, it is time to learn the secrets and the process of making these gastronomic and artisan gems, each with its own essence and personality. It is the turn of the lactic ferments or coagulants, the cutting of the dough and draining, the pressing in different moulds and the salting to form the crust.

 

While the ‘cheese artisans’ face the maturing process of their 250g cheeses -they have to be of this size to be ready in a few hours-, it is time to take the gastronomic experience to the next level and to learn how the different varieties of this product are made. It is not in vain that La Celada is known for having such peculiar pairings as a cheese matured with chocolate or with Iberian lard, or others with rosemary, oregano, paprika or oil. There is also no shortage of traditional cheeses on the shelves, such as fresh cheese, fresh cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc. Because, although this artisan cheese factory is made up of a total of 12 people, all of them take care of the smallest detail so that the varieties maintain the highest level of quality. In the future, they plan to diversify production and are already considering making yoghurt, butter and goat cheese rulers.

 

The cheesemakers prepare their palates to taste these jewels of the Subbética area whose secret of success lies in ‘the quality of the raw material". “The goats belong to a Subbética livestock farm and we always use local farmers who have the same breed when we need more milk to meet demand”, explains Cristóbal Padilla.

 

At La Celada, time passes quickly and it is time to unmould the cheese and pack it to take it home. This is a gastronomic experience that must be booked in advance by calling the cheese dairy and is offered for €15 per person.

 

This artisan cheese factory opened its doors in 2020 and, in a short period of time, it came up against the pandemic and had to stop production. Cristóbal Padilla had been training for years before taking the big step, building a shed on his own land and starting with 200 goats, which he expanded every year. He came out of the confinement with strength and, in 2021, it was when he had the greatest exponential growth. Right now, La Celada cheeses reach almost all of Andalusia and in the near future he would like to start expanding his range of action and open an onlineshop, but first he must increase his livestock to be able to cover the demand he currently has.

 

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