A taste of west Cork and almost five decades of farmhouse cheesemaking can now be found on shelves in Dunnes Stores with the Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Smoked Gubbeen Extra Mature.

Produced by the Ferguson family at Gubbeen Farmhouse in Schull, Co Cork, the semi-hard cheese is made using milk from the farm’s own herd. It is then traditionally smoked to develop its distinctive robust flavour.

Its quality has recently been recognised too, with the Extra Mature Smoked Gubbeen taking silver in the Smoked Cheese category at the 2026 CÁIS Irish Cheese Awards.

Fingal Ferguson feels that the cheese brings together many of the things that have defined Gubbeen since his parents began cheesemaking in the late 1970s; family, traditional skills and a strong sense of place.

“Myself and my sisters are the fifth generation [on the farm], and my kids are the sixth generation in Gubbeen,” says Fingal.

His parents, Tom and Giana Ferguson, began making cheese on the farm around 1979, during an extraordinary period for farmhouse food in west Cork. Fingal remembers growing up alongside the families of other pioneering cheesemakers and surrounded by people who were passionate about food and farming.

“I grew up surrounded by these incredible strong women,” he says, recalling the influence of his mother and other leading figures in the emerging Irish food movement.

Almost 50 years later, Gubbeen remains very much a family affair. Fingal’s father Tom is still involved in the farm, while his sister Clovis has taken over as cheesemaker – one of the developments of which he is most proud.

Around 20 people work across the wider Gubbeen operation, and Fingal is quick to point out that its success has always depended on the wider team.

“Without them we’re lost,” he says. “The people making the cheese are the ones I would send up to collect a medal or an award.”

One of the defining features of Gubbeen is its own dedicated herd, which supplies the milk used to make the cheese.

Making cheese

Fingal jokingly describes it as the “single origin” approach to cheesemaking. Calving is spread throughout the year, helping to maintain consistency in the milk despite the natural changes that come with different seasons, weather and the cows’ diet.

It makes life a little easier for the cheesemaker, although Fingal is under no illusions about the skill involved.

“Making cheese is really simple,” he says. “Making cheese consistently is really, really hard.”

The Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Smoked Gubbeen Extra Mature is aged for around three months, allowing its naturally sharp, lactic flavour to develop before smoking adds another layer of character.

And the way Gubbeen smokes its cheese comes with a particularly wonderful west Cork story.

The Ferguson family learned the technique from the late Chris Jepson, a local man Fingal remembers with huge fondness. Chris lived in a house that could only be reached at low tide, he built his own boat to catch fish and created his own smoker.

“He was one of those gentlemen who never said much, but when he did, it was gold,” Fingal recalls.

When Chris retired, he gave the Fergusons his blessing to recreate his smoking system and showed them how to do it.

Today, whole logs of wood are slowly smouldered to smoke the cheese in a process Fingal describes as “incredibly traditional, old school”.

Rather than seeking absolute uniformity, Gubbeen embraces the individual character that comes from that method.The result is a mature cheese with plenty of personality. Fingal describes the Extra Mature Smoked Gubbeen as “powerful and strong, but in a pleasant sort of way”, with a lingering flavour and a robustness that means a little goes a long way.

When asked how best to serve it, he shares a terrific childhood memory. His mother Giana had spent about half an hour teaching him how to pronounce Gewürztraminer because she considered the aromatic white wine the ultimate pairing for their smoked cheese. A Riesling-style wine is another good match.

The cheese also works naturally as part of a generous cheese or charcuterie board. Community remains an important part of life at Gubbeen. The family still sells at farmers’ markets and the people behind the stand are often those involved in making the food. Those markets provide direct contact with the people who buy their produce, something Fingal describes as ‘invaluable’.

“The repeat customer and that element of getting feedback is incredible,” he says. “Farmers’ markets are essential.”

The Simply Better Irish Farmhouse Smoked Gubbeen Extra Mature represents a story that began in west Cork almost half a century ago, combining milk from the family’s own herd, generations of cheesemaking knowledge and an old-fashioned smoking technique passed from one local food producer to another.