David Ličen, Golden ring cheese
Golden Ring Cheese is a boutique cheese dairy which graphics designer David Ličen and Kristijan Vidmar, owner of the Sinji Vrh guesthouse above Ajdovščina, have been developing for four years. Their cheeses are something new and special in the Slovene region. They embellish them with different herbs, some are dipped into organic hay, while all of them mature for several months in an old cave some 30 metres underground at a humidity of 90 percent and a constant temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius. This gives the cheeses a strong taste and aroma, which is very much appreciated by culinary fans.
Their cheeses were first discovered by Slovenian chefs Tomaž Kavčič, Jorg Zupan and Uroš Fakuč who all became very fond of them. Two cheese derivatives which are embellished and mature with juniper berry pesto are especially produced for Tomaž Kavčič. They also make cheeses on order for Max Stiegl, the best Austrian chef who has his own restaurant in Vienna. The special cheeses with their special culinary stories achieve a high price.
They are also available at the Sinji Vrh guesthouse, however not in shops. They are boutique batches, only 50 to 60 kilograms of cheese are produced per week, each wheel matures at least twice in a different environment. The owners of the cheese dairy will adhere to their boutique production. Instead of going for quantities, they will preferably experiment with new ingredients, new tastes and aromas in the future. They will also stay with their cow milk supplier, i.e. the Krapež farm from Otlica which is just one kilometre away. Thus, the milk and cheeses are produced at an altitude of one thousand metres, sustainably, with natural ingredients from the local environment. They are also planning to sell their cheeses directly to the customer.
