Searching for organic and animal friendly cheese

[Saara]

I'm looking for lactose free cheese that is organic and also mother and calf have not been separated soon after calf's birth. I would like cheese to be produced as animal friendly way as possible. I live in Finland and I have not found this kind of cheese here.

Is there good quality cheese available that could be ordered to Finland?

Thank you if you know something that could help.

[mikekchar]

It might be possible, but I suspect that lactose free cheese is likely to be only produced by large producers and hence, there will be no guarantee for the milk.  If you are up for a challenge, it might be easier to make it yourself. If you can find a good supply of milk (low temperature pasteurised, and also non-homogenised is best) I think you can buy lactase enzymes that you can add to the milk to break down the lactose (I believe Lactaid sells drops that you can add to milk).  You *can* make cheese from that (search on Youtube for Gavin Webber's efforts on lactose free cheese).  However... I'm really unclear whether the starter cultures can digest the sugars that the lactose breaks down, so you might be limited in the styles of cheese you can make.  Sorry I can't be more specific than that.  I assume you have an intolerance rather than an allergy -- if the latter, I don't think I would risk it either way.  A day of discomfort is one thing if it fails -- a trip to the hospital is another.  I lived for a decade as a vegan and while I missed cheese, there are a lot of other delicious foods in the world!

[estherlabran]

Honestly, that is a tough ask. I have looked into this before, and it is not easy.

Most organic cheese still comes from standard dairies. Calves taken away early. And the lactose free stuff? Usually big brands that do not care much about animal welfare. It is frustrating.

The only farm I know that keeps calves with their mothers is The Ethical Dairy in Scotland. Their cheese is organic and unpasteurised, so not lactose free. But some lactose intolerant people can handle raw dairy. Might be worth a try. I have no idea if they ship to Finland, but you could ask.

If that fails, your best bet is hunting down a small local dairy in Finland that follows similar principles. Or you could make your own cheese using lactase drops. Not ideal, I know. But at least you control the milk source.

If you need cheese making supplies, rennet and cultures and such, you can order them from McGrocer. They ship internationally.

Good luck. It is a hard search, no doubt.