Myles and his kitchen team are proud to use local Mayo products on the menu, and none more so than Velvet Cloud which is unique in Ireland. Not only is it the only Irish made sheep’s milk yogurt commercially available in Ireland but the milk it is made from comes from the producers own grass fed flock of sheep. No wonder it won a coveted Euro-toques award for innovation in dairy.
Velvet Cloud is a handmade natural sheep’s milk yogurt produced by husband and wife team, Aisling and Michael Flanagan, on Rockfield Farm, Claremorris. They launched Velvet Cloud in 2015 and since then it’s found its way onto menus in top restaurants countrywide. It’s popular with chefs because it is thicker and creamier than cow yogurts and has a milder, less tangy and slightly sweeter taste. This means it works very well in both savoury and sweet dishes.
The pair have always had a great love of food and have both lived and worked in Italy and France. In fact Aisling worked with Bord Bia in Milan for 7 years and managed their Paris office. Michael is from Rockfield and was brought up on the farm with both sheep and cows.
Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt contains just two ingredients. The first is fresh sheep’s milk from the farm and the second is live probiotic yogurt cultures. It also boasts a number of nutritional benefits which is good news for those with digestive challenges or who are allergic to cow’s milk. Sheep’s milk has a higher solid content and higher nutritional value than cow’s milk. It’s popular with those interested in their nutrition and digestion because of its unique properties. It also has higher levels of ‘heart healthy fats’ (or what in food chemistry are called “polar lipids”) compared to cow’s milk.
Velvet Cloud is also sold through supermarkets and speciality food stores so watch out for this fabulous local product next time you’re shopping.