Baylough, also written Bay Lough, is a hard-pressed cheddar-style cheese made from Friesian cow's milk by Dick and Anne Keating at Clogheen in County Tipperary, Ireland.
The wax colour tells you which of four varieties you are holding. Most of the make uses unpasteurised milk, which matters for eating cheese while pregnant under the CDC's advice but not under the NHS's.
In This Article
Who Makes Baylough, and Where?
Dick and Anne Keating own and operate Bay Lough Cheese in Clogheen, and Anne makes the cheese at the farm just outside Clogheen. The dairy sits at Mount Anglesby in the Knockmealdown foothills.
Baylough is a hard-pressed cheddar and an artisan cheese, and every variety is firm and light yellow with a closed texture.
The milk comes from a neighbouring farmer's single herd of Friesian cows grazed on the Knockmealdown foothills, and the cheese is set with vegetarian rennet.
Baylough began as Anne's attempt to make cheese for her family from surplus milk, and after relatively unsuccessful attempts an improved cheese with business potential emerged.
It took first prize at the Royal Dublin Show in 1994. The Georgina Campbell Guides call the cheese, and Bay Lough Mature in particular, a point of pride in the area.
What Do the Wax Colours Mean?
Each of the four Baylough varieties has a wax rind in its own colour. The cylinders are coated in black, orange, yellow or brown wax to denote the variety, so the coat tells you what is inside before you cut it.
| Wax colour | Variety |
|---|---|
| Yellow | Bay Lough Cheddar (plain) |
| Brown | Bay Lough Cheddar Smoked (Fork & Bottle calls it oak-smoked) |
| Black | Bay Lough Cheddar with Garlic and Herbs |
| Orange | Bay Lough Cheddar Smoked with Garlic and Herbs |
Baylough comes as a 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) wheel or a 300 to 400 g waxed section.
Whether the larger wheel is waxed too depends on the account: Wikipedia gives every variety a wax rind and Cheese.com gives the rind as waxed, while Fork & Bottle has the larger version bandage wrapped and the smaller versions waxed.
Wikipedia also counts the Keatings among the early adopters of "naturally bandaging (coating with wax)" cheese, so in its wording a bandage is a wax coat.
How Old Is Baylough, and What Does It Taste Like?
Standard Baylough is about three to four months old, and Bay Lough Mature is at least eight months old.
| Question | Age | Given by |
|---|---|---|
| How old is the standard Bay Lough Cheddar? | 3 to 4 months; sold from 3+ months | Wikipedia and Cheese.com (3 to 4 months); Georgina Campbell Guides (sold from 3+ months) |
| How old is Bay Lough Mature? | At least 8 months; sold at 8+ months | Wikipedia (mature cheese at least 8 months); Georgina Campbell Guides (sold at 8+ months) |
| How old is Bay Lough Cheddar Smoked? | Sold from 3 months | Georgina Campbell Guides |
Across cheddar as a whole, ageing runs from 3 to 24 months depending on variety, so standard Baylough sits at the young end of that range.
Each of the young cheeses also comes in a garlic and herbs, smoked, or smoked garlic and herbs version.
The Georgina Campbell Guides describe Baylough as mild and creamy-hard when young, maturing to a harder, drier texture with a good bite. Pick a young cheese for the mild, creamy-hard version and Bay Lough Mature for the bite.
Mild is the word the other descriptions share: Cookipedia gives a mild taste with relatively low salt, and Cheese.com's garlicky, herbaceous, mild and smoky covers the whole range of varieties.
Is Baylough Raw Milk, and Is It Safe in Pregnancy?
Most Baylough is made from unpasteurised milk and a small amount from pasteurised milk, so ask the seller which make you are buying before you apply the NHS or CDC rule.
| Make | Described by | NHS (UK) | CDC (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpasteurised milk, most of the make | Wikipedia; Cheese.com (unpasteurized); Fork & Bottle and Georgina Campbell Guides (raw cow's milk) | Safe to eat: "pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses", with cheddar among the examples | Riskier choice: "Unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products made from raw milk" |
| Pasteurised milk, a small amount | Wikipedia | Safe to eat, under the same line | Safer choice: "Hard cheese, when made with pasteurized milk", with Cheddar among the examples |
Baylough is a hard cheddar-style cheese, so it falls in the NHS's safe group but outside the CDC's safer list unless it is the pasteurised make. The NHS separately warns that unpasteurised or soft ripened dairy foods may contain listeria.
Which Other Irish Farmhouse Cheddars Use Raw or Pasteurised Milk?
In Fork & Bottle's directory of Irish farmhouse cheeses, Coolattin and Mount Callan are raw-milk cheddar-style cheeses like Baylough, while Cahill's Cheddar and Commeragh are made with pasteurized milk.
| Cheese | County | Milk | Directory description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Lough | Tipperary | Raw cow's | Hard-pressed cheddar; larger version bandage wrapped, smaller versions waxed |
| Coolattin | Carlow | Raw cow's | Mature cheddar, listed as organic |
| Mount Callan | Clare | Raw cow's | Cheddar style, made only in the summer months |
| Cahill's Cheddar | Limerick | Pasteurized cow's | Flavored cheddar style, waxed rind |
| Commeragh | Waterford | Pasteurized cow's | Farmhouse cheddar |
Like Baylough's flavoured varieties, Cahill's Cheddar from Limerick is a flavored cheddar style with a waxed rind, and the directory lists it as made with pasteurized milk.
At least one cheese in the directory is marked as no longer made, so confirm the milk with the maker before you buy any of them.
Where Can You Buy Baylough?
The Georgina Campbell Guides list Baylough at local farmers' markets, the English Market in Cork and delis and specialty shops nationwide, and on the menu at the Old Convent at Clogheen. An Irish Times feature also named Country Choice in Nenagh as a seller.
On 29 September 2026 a James Whelan Butchers product page listed Bay Lough as not currently available, so ask the shop before you travel for it.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
What Else Do People Ask About Baylough?
They identify the variety. Yellow is plain cheddar, brown is smoked, black is garlic and herbs, and orange is smoked with garlic and herbs.
Baylough is made at Mount Anglesby near Clogheen in County Tipperary, Ireland, by Dick and Anne Keating.
Most of it is, and a small amount is made with pasteurised milk, so ask which make you are buying.
The NHS lists pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses, such as cheddar, as safe to eat, while the CDC lists hard cheese, when made with pasteurized milk, as a safer choice and dairy products made from raw milk as a riskier choice. Most Baylough is unpasteurised, so ask which make you are buying and follow current local guidance and your clinician.
It is made with vegetarian rennet, and Cheese.com marks it as vegetarian.
The standard cheese is aged 3 to 4 months and the mature cheese at least 8 months.
