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Producer Visits

Sam visits Botton Village to make Alpine-style Summer Field

A year ago, cheesemonger Sam went out to Botton Village to make Summer Field Alpine cheese. Here’s the story of his visit, learning about Botton Village’s unique way of farming and cheese-making….. On a clear morning in mid July I made my usual 10-mile commute to The Courtyard Dairy, cycling up through the Dales and moors, dotted with imposing Highland cattle and with spectacular views to Pendle on the left and Malham Cove on the right. I had been making this journey into work since March, but this day was different: we were going to visit a cheese producer. And so from Settle a team of us made tracks through the Yorkshire Dales towards the east coast, passing close to Bolton Abbey and Fountains Abbey – both key sites in the early development of cheese in the north of England – before climbing up onto the North York Moors. We then dropped steeply past Stormy Hall – apocryphally so called after Henry VIII took refuge there during a storm, but more likely to be named after the Sturmy family who were resident there in the 13th and 14th centuries – and finally into Danby Dale and Botton Village. Botton is…
Dorstone Cheese

Watch Dorstone and Finn being made…

Charlie Westhead was one of the pioneers in artisan cheesemaking in the UK. This short video tells the story of his cheesemaking business and his famous cheeses: Ragstone, Dorstone and Finn. Buy Dorstone and Finn Buy Dorstone and Finn here >
How to make cheese

How is cheese made? A basic outline.

How to make cheese? The transformation of milk into cheese is one of the brilliant achievements of humankind. It enables us to take a product that spoils fast at ambient temperature (milk), and makes a product that lasts (cheese). Technically, some cheeses could last forever. Milk is comprised of about 87% water. The object of cheese making is to turn milk into a solid by removing some of this water and acidifying the milk – the amount to be removed depending on how long you want the cheese to last. Drier (and thus, harder) cheeses keep fresh longer.   Setting milk into curdThe first step to removing the excess water is by separating the milk into curd and whey. To set the milk into curd, it is gently heated, and then cultures (called ‘starter cultures’) and rennet are added. The cultures added are lactic-acid-forming bacteria that change the lactose (sugar) in milk into lactic acid; this chemical change prompts the milk to curdle (you’ll see this curdling if you let milk go off at home). In order to assist with this process, an enzyme, rennet, is also added. Rennet joins up the proteins in the milk to allow the milk…
St James Cheese

St James Cheese – a video visit to Holker Farm

Martin Gott and Nicola Robinson farm a small herd of 110 Lacaune sheep in South Cumbria (England). Since 2006 Martin and Nicola have used their fabulous milk to make St James cheese, a rich savoury washed rind cheese made with raw milk. Buy St James online here >  Buy St James online here >
Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese Store

Simon visits Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheeses!

Last month, along with my colleague Sam, I met Andy at the Courtyard Dairy ready to set off for a day of fun-filled excitement making Kirkham’s Lancashire. Even though I had been on my first cheese outing to Botton Village earlier in the year, I was still very excited as it was Sam’s first visit to a cheese-maker to see first hand how the process is carried out. What better place to start than one of our most popular cheeses?! We set off to Beesley Farm, which is situated in Goosnargh, Lancashire, just outside Preston. This is the area where traditional Lancashire cheese comes from, which is in the valley of the River Ribble fairly close to the estuary mouth. Soon after leaving, we picked up Kathy and little baby Walter, who along with Sam, was also having his first visit. This was mainly because the famous Mrs Kirkham (Ruth) wanted a cuddle. Upon arrival, Graham Kirkham, the head cheese-maker, was busy on the phone, so we were kindly ushered by his partner Kellie into the staff kitchen for a brew. We met a handful of their team, including their son Mike, who has been working alongside Graham full-time since…
Botton Village Cheese

Simon visits Botton Village to make cheese!

Earlier this year The Courtyard Dairy visited Botton Village Creamery. Botton is part of the Camphill Village Trust (CVT), and was the first and still largest Camphill created. Below is a brief recollection of my visit. It was very early on a chilly Winter’s morning when I met Andy at the Courtyard Dairy, for my first producer visit as trainee cheesemonger. I was fairly apprehensive about what the day would entail, but was intrigued to see how cheese was made first hand as until that point I had only read about it in various forms of literature and on telly. We set off and went via Pateley Bridge to pick up Andrew Hattan who was also coming along with us to see how things were done first hand for his own startup cheese making business. After a couple of hours intently listening, but not fully understanding, cheese talk from Andy and Andrew, we were nearing our destination. The views were spectacular on the North Yorkshire moors and when we dipped down into the valley where Botton is situated, you could tell it had to be self sustaining as there is barely anything else remotely near the village. We parked up,…
Fellstone Cheese

Creating a brand new cheese at Whin Yeats farm, a definite cheese to watch…

In early 2015 a young couple named Tom and Clare Noblet visited The Courtyard Dairy at Settle and told Andy Swinscoe and his team of their intention of starting to make quality cheese. Their small dairy farm, barely 20 miles away from The Courtyard Dairy, was struggling to survive. Receiving barely 19p a litre for their milk at the time meant that it seemed like there was little future for the farm. It all stemmed from six years ago. Tom had long held an ambition to own his own farm and cows, and loves milking, so in 2010, with his wife Clare and four children, they realised his ambition and set up a partnership with established dairy farmers Max and Jenny Burrow, who were looking to retire. The plan was that Tom and Clare would slowly buy Max and Jenny out of Whin Yeats farm, eventually taking full control of the 80 dairy cows that graze on the hilly terrain on the edge of the Lake District. Soon after moving to Whin Yeats, however, Tom and Clare ran into difficulties. The continuing low price of milk meant that the farm was effectively unsustainable in the long term if it continued…
Todd trethowan gorwydd cheese

An interview with Todd Trethowan: maker of Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese

An interview with Todd Trethowan; cheese-maker of the fabulous Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese! Find out how Todd got into cheese, what he loves on the food scene, the ethos for his business and his recommendations on the best places to eat and shop for food!
Etivaz cheese alpage

Etivaz: the story of a truly special cheese

Nestled high in the Swiss mountains there remains a a group of small farms make a truly special cheese: Etivaz.  Made to a Gruyere recipe but over burning log wood fires, it is a true step back in time.

Read the story of this amazing traditional cheese here.
Etivaz cheese gruyere

Etivaz Cheese – a video visit to Etivaz Cheese

This five-minute video tells the story of Etivaz cheese, a truly special cheese still made over open log wood fire high-up in the Swiss Alps.

Joe visits Hafod Cheddar: Sam and Rachel’s quest for the perfect cheese

Part time Cheese Monger and Affineur trainee Joe Lodge visits Holden farm, makers of Hafod Cheddar, to find out about Sam and Rachel’s quest for the perfect cheese and their dedication to making Hafod Cheddar outstanding…

Joe visits Hafod Cheddar: how do their farming practices make their cheese special?

Part time Cheese Monger and Affineur trainee Joe Lodge visits Holden farm, makers of Hafod Cheddar, to see how their farming practices help to make their cheese special.