You probably will not find this very young hand made cheese anywhere else in America, because it can only be produced in small quantities--enough for La Tienda, but not enough for volume production. When you sample the first slice of your fresh Villegas La Mancha sheep's milk cheese you will recognize that this is truly an artisan product made by hand. It is one of our favorites.

It is made from milk of the rare Manchega breed of sheep that graze on La Mancha, the vast mountain plateau south of Toledo, and home of Don Quijote. Because this fresh cheese has only aged for about two weeks is very smooth and buttery, and bone white in color. Its texture is somewhat similar to goat's milk cheese, but its flavor is much richer.  (more info)

You probably will not find this very young hand made cheese anywhere else in America, because it can only be produced in small quantities--enough for La Tienda, but not enough for volume production. When you sample the first slice of your fresh Villegas La Mancha sheep's milk cheese you will recognize that this is truly an artisan product made by hand. It is one of our favorites.

It is made from milk of the rare Manchega breed of sheep that graze on La Mancha, the vast mountain plateau south of Toledo, and home of Don Quijote. Because this fresh cheese has only aged for about two weeks is very smooth and buttery, and bone white in color. Its texture is somewhat similar to goat's milk cheese, but its flavor is much richer.

The milk used to make this wonderful cheese is identical to that used in all of the other Villajos prize winning cheeses. The only difference is that it was removed from curing after only 10-15 days! For this reason the Villegas is too young to earn the official D.O. Manchego designation. For those of you who like our 'Young Manchego' by Trigal, you will find this Villegas cheese is even milder and more suave.

We choose it for everyday eating at breakfast, sandwiches or even grilled cheese--a favorite of our children. It melts very nicely. You can also serve slices or wedges of this pleasant cheese as tapas or snacks with olives, accompanied by sherry, beer or sangria. We serve it as a light dessert accompanied by traditional membrillo -- quince preserve -- fig or date wheels, fresh fruit or honey.

The Villegas pasteurized fresh sheep's milk cheese is a part of a remarkable family of cheeses that are produced in a remote village in La Mancha. The cheeses are made in a small facility that originally was the Villajos family home, following traditional methods! They use pure fresh ewe's milk from the unique Manchega breed of sheep that graze on the pastures surrounding the village.

The Villajos family has created an extraordinary line of cheeses due to cheese making skills of Beni, their master cheese maker. He draws from the experience of generations past, and makes a limited amount, allowing him to pay meticulous attention to detail.

Their flagship cheese has been awarded four Gran Selección prizes in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 by the regional Government of Castilla--La Mancha. It is a hitherto unheard of accomplishment.
  (less info)