Cheese Musings & Tips

Many people have been put off for life by tasting a really-ripe goats’ cheese – saying it is ‘like licking a goat’! But contrary to popular opinion, goats’ milk doesn’t…

Firstly lets debunk three broadly-held myths: Keeping the Billy Goat with your female goats is NOT the reason some goats’ cheeses taste ‘goatier’ than others, Goats are historic to the…

In order to keep staff entertained during the Coronavirus pandemic, The Courtyard Dairy found some old ‘rejected’ cheeses (flavour profile was not good at all!) and challenged the staff to…

When you buy farmhouse cheese you are supporting the farmer and his/her family. Shown below are just a few of the families and individuals you have supported and are continuing…

Farmhouse cheese is tasty – raw milk, heritage breeds, traditional grasses, pasture feeding, and slow, ancient cheese-making techniques quite simply make for unbeatable flavour. Continuing support of farm-made cheese is…

Cheese shop The Courtyard Dairy near Settle has teamed up with the charity ‘Send a Cow’ to celebrate ‘Februdairy’. For every new three-month subscription to The Courtyard Dairy’s popular monthly…

Farmer and cheese-makers, Tom and Clare Noblet make Fellstone cheese on their farm near Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria. Andy interviewed them to find out what makes these fantastic cheese-makers tick….

Salt is very important in cheesemaking, for as well as helping add to the flavour of cheese, it also controls the bacteria that grow inside the cheese, helps with texture…

There are many opinions and different views on what makes a true Single or Double Gloucester and how they vary as cheeses. The height, the weight, the richness, the age…

Listed below are all the cheeses normally available from The Courtyard Dairy cheese shop.  Other ‘guest’ cheeses are occasionally available that may not appear online – please phone Andy on…

Well, if you thought it was salt, you’d be wrong! We do know what causes the crystalline white deposits found within hard cheeses. It isn’t common salt, and in fact…

The farm began 2017 under a substantial cloud of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). Unfortunately we had a quite terrible test result just before Christmas 2016 and were counting down the days…

Farmhouse British cheese has seen an enormous revival in recent years with brand new Bries, blues and brilliant bloomy goats’ cheeses. But things were not always thus; for many years…

An in-depth video interview with Martin Gott, maker of St James Cheese and one of Britain’s foremost cheese-makers. In this 50-minute podcast, Andy & Kathy of The Courtyard Dairy chat…

Andrew Hattan, of Low Riggs Farm in Nidderdale, who makes Stonebeck Cheese talks to Andy of The Courtyard Dairy.  In this hour-long podcast and video Andrew talks on his experiences…

Graham Kirkham talks about what tradition means to him and for his farm in this 50-minute podcast or video. This interview with Andy & Kathy explores British farmhouse cheese in…

Take a glance at many supermarket cheese or milk labels and you’ll often see a picture of a happy cow in a field. The reality is very different, however, because…

Here are Kathy’s and Andy’s favourite cheese gifts and gift selections for this coming Father’s Day.

A brief synopsis of your business and career? I run Mike’s Fancy Cheese and we make a raw-milk blue cheese called Young Buck, here in Newtownards. We have been making…

No doubt a few of you will know already about The Courtyard Dairy’s purchase of the former Yorkshire Dales Falconry Centre on the A65 near Settle.  The plan is for…

Owners of The Courtyard Dairy in Settle have developed a brand-new ‘air freshener’ that gives off a cheesy whiff!  The device is incorporated into a simple 13A plug that can…

Last Wednesday, 22nd March, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales called in to sample the cheeses at The Courtyard Dairy. Andy and Kathy Swinscoe were thrilled that His Royal…

Once a year, cheese-makers and cheesemongers across the globe celebrate the production of raw milk and raw milk cheeses on Raw Milk Appreciation Day. Small scale farmhouse cheese makers that…

Dads are hard to buy for, and with Father’s Day approaching (Sunday 18th June) choosing just how to please them best is difficult.  But there is one thing that most…

This Wednesday, 22nd March, Andy and Kathy Swinscoe, owners of The Courtyard Dairy will be thrilled to welcome his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to their shop.  The Prince…

If you’ve heard that Northerners are apparently keen on a wedge of fruitcake to complement their cheese, you might be asking is it just a rumour, or is it a…

With British artisan cheese all but disappearing in post-war Britain, things were indeed dire for farmhouse cheese makers. A few continued to make cheese, encouraged by the remaining great cheesemongers…

An interview with Barry Cahalan; farmer and owner of the fabulous Cais Na Tire cheese! Find out what Barry loves on the food scene, his ethos for his business and…

Tell us briefly about your business and your career. We have been milking cows here (starting with just 3!) since 1952, on the tenancy farm we obtained. The farm has…

Brief synopsis of your business & career? Prior to setting up Barwhey’s cheese I lived in London – working for many years as a management consultant and then MD of…

Some pictures and comments from customers who have previously celebrated with Cheese Wedding Cakes from The Courtyard Dairy.

(part 3)

An interview with Joe Schneider; creator and cheese-maker of the fabulous Stichelton cheese! Find out what Joe loves on the food scene, his ethos for his business, how he got…

When Andrew and Sally Hattan took over the tenancy of run-down upland farm Low Riggs Middlesmoor, Nidderdale, in 2007, their goal was to create a farm that cared for the…

The Courtyard Dairy, has re-enacted an age-old tradition of passing a newborn baby through a wheel of cheese. Andy and his wife Kathy (owner’s of Settle’s award-winning cheesemonger) found out…

If you go into any good cheese shop, you’ll often hear the cheesemongers talking about the breed of cow that produced the milk from which a cheese was made. Phrases…

THE UK’s Department for Dairy (UKDforD) has today released an official white paper stating that the government intends over the next five years to incentivise all UK adults to eat…

Some pictures and comments from customers who have previously celebrated with Cheese Wedding Cakes from The Courtyard Dairy.

(part 2)

A selection of pictures and comments from customers who have previously celebrated with Cheese Wedding Cakes from The Courtyard Dairy

Some pictures, decoration ideas and comments from customers who have previously celebrated with Cheese Wedding Cake Towers from The Courtyard Dairy.

(part 4)

An exclusive cheese tasting and an opportunity to discover the story behind Young Buck – directly from the man who makes it.

How does the blue veining come about – is it mould?  And how does it get in the cheese?

Find out all the answers here from the history of blue cheese…

Have you ever wondered why some cheeses, like Cheshire, Red Leicester and Shropshire Blue, have such a dark red/orangey hue?  And did you wonder “Is it natural?”

An interview with Sam Holden; cheese-maker of the fabulous Hafod cheese! Find out what Sam loves on the food scene, the ethos for his business and his recommendations on the…

Ever wondered why some cheeses really stink?  And what is a ‘washed-rind’ cheese?  Find out here…

An interview with Stacey Hedges; cheese-maker of the fabulous Tunworth and Winslade cheeses! Find out what Stacey loves on the food scene, her ethos for her business and her recommendations…

Brief synopsis of your business & career? We began experimental cheesemaking on the 9th March 2015, and began to sell cheese in August 2015 The cheese dairy itself was built…

An interview with Marion Roeleveld; farmer and cheese-maker of the fabulous Killeen cheese! Find out what Marion loves on the food scene, her ethos for her business and her recommendations…

An interview with John Rudden, owner and chef of the award winning Grassington House Hotel. Find out what he loves on the food scene, his ethos for food and his…

Last month Andy and Kathy went to visit Frederic and Irene Chabloz, one of the few producers of Etivaz cheese.  Perched 1550m high on the side of a mountain, they…

What is the difference between cheeses made with raw and pasteurised milk?  Does it make a difference to flavour? Are there any health concerns?

Click below to a balanced article on…

An interview with Sarah Hampton; farmer and cheese-maker of the fabulous Capra Nouveau cheese! Find out what Sarah loves on the food scene, her ethos for her business and her…

I once had an esteemed food critic come into the shop and say “well, Brie and Camembert – they’re the same thing anyway”.  Not wanting to contradict and upset him…

This is the month to talk about French cheese – what better time to celebrate French cheese than Bastille Day on Tuesday 14th July.  So this July give a little…

Find out what got Val into food, his secret foodie ‘gems’ and what he loves about the British food scene in this interview with Valentine Warner; cook, TV presenter and…

Below lists all the organic cheese producers in the UK, from farmhouse to large scale; those cheeses that are made with UNPATEURISED (RAW) organic milk are further highlighted.

After several months of hand-wringing at The Courtyard Dairy along with cheese-maker Haydn Roberts has finally chosen the name for their recently-developed goats’-milk ‘cheese with no name’.  A competition to…

An interview with Jenny Linford; food and cookery book writer – including author of the fabulous Great British Cheese Book.  Find out what got Jenny into food, her secret foodie…

An interview with Martin Gott; farmer and cheese-maker of the fabulous St James cheese! Find out what Martin loves on the food scene, his ethos for his business and his…

The world’s most popular cheese, Cheddar still accounts for over half of all British cheese sales (52%), but what exactly is Cheddar?  

Made in Somerset?  

Aged for over a year? 

Find…

An interview with Chris Wildman; butcher, farmer, retailer and all round Yorkshire food hero! Find out what Chris loves on the food scene, his ethos for his business and his…

An interview with Claire and Anthony Kitching, owner and creators of the inspirational Leeds bar: Friends of Ham. Find out what they love on the food scene, their ethos for…

We all know that dads love cheese (and beer!), so Andy Swinscoe from The Courtyard Dairy, has come up with some top gift ideas for this Father’s Day, gifts your dad…

Another May passes and The British Cheese Awards have yet again graced their medals and awards to the best cheese makers (and mongers) in the country.

Juliet Harbutt started The British…

Ever wondered what makes a Caerphilly, Cheshire and Cheddar different? 

Click below to see what characteristics a cheese grader would expect Britain’s key territorial’s to exhibit: examining their body and texture, flavour and…

The traditional British Cheese types are often called the ‘territorials’; as they take name from the counties or areas where they come from, but what is the difference?  Find out…

Over the last few months local North Yorkshire business The Courtyard Dairy and Blue Pig Company have teamed up to develop a brand new cheese: one made from pigs milk!

‘Farmhouse’, ‘traditional’ and ‘artisan’ are not protected terms so essentially mean nothing! This blurs the boundaries as far as the consumer is concerned – so what is an artisan, traditional…

Yes, it’s that time of year again… and don’t forget that mums love cheese!

Here are ten amazing cheese gifts just right for mums that love cheese:

Win a three-month subscription to The Courtyard Dairy Monthly Cheese Club by simply thinking of a name for a brand-new goats’ cheese

For this year’s St Valentine’s Day you could keep up this tradition and give the cheese-lover in your life a delightful heart-shaped cheese (or maybe a whole cheese gift box!)….

Every month cheese lovers all over the UK receive a box of cheese delights delivered to their door from The Courtyard Dairy.  But how does The Courtyard Dairy decide which…

Cheese isn’t just for Christmas!  And with Burns Night on its way shortly after, what better time is there to celebrate all things Scottish by rounding off your Burns Night…

Every month cheese selections are delivered to lucky cheese lovers throughout the UK as part of the monthly cheese club.  If you are thinking of subscribing, or giving it as…

A list of the common and well known cheese jokes frequently heard in the shop … from cheeses to tempt a bear out of the woods (Camembert) to cheeses you…

This week has seen the delivery of a new, long-awaited product: Camembert Bakers. 

For those that want to make a unusual and different cheeseboard this Christmas, or are looking for a gift for cheese-lovers that is a bit different, here are some brilliant…

Recreate that classic Alpine experience thanks to this intuitively designed raclette grill from Swiss manufacturer Stöckli.

For those that want to be the envy of their friends by offering the best cheeseboard this Christmas, here are some Christmas cheeseboard ideas to help them choose a cheese…

Read about the different Lancashire cheeses: crumbly, creamy and tasty.  Find out more about how they came about and what makes them taste so different!

With World Smile Day (3rd October) fast approaching, we have decided to run a competition to find some new ‘cheesy’ jokes.  Come up with your best pun and enter to…

Buying cheese online in the UK can be a daunting task – just how can you be sure who you are buying from and the quality of their cheese? 

Whether it is for Father’s Day or for a birthday, here are The Courtyard Dairy’s top 10 best-selling cheese gifts for men:

A justifiably famous French and Swiss Cheese, Vacherin Mont d’ Or.  But how did it come about?  And why is it still seasonal….

Being a Yorkshire cheesemonger and with Yorkshire Day fast approaching (1st August) I thought now is an especially appropriate time to champion Yorkshire cheese!

Click below to read a brief history…

Cheese lovers everywhere purchase their cheese online from The Courtyard Dairy.  Quite often, the cheese they purchase is not for them, but is intended as a gift, maybe for a…

Why does The Courtyard Dairy stock Richard 3rd Wensleydale, instead of the very good Wensleydale cheese made at Hawes Creamery?

Find out by clicking below….

The FDA in American is banning some cheeses due to cheese mites.

An explanation into the various methods of classifying cheese types by their texture and flavour.

An explanation of the methods of classifying cheese by how it is made.

Every year, brilliant, new, unusual and exciting cheeses are developed in the UK.  Last year, for example, saw the introduction of Little Anne, Baron Bigod and Cais Na Tire.

Here are…

With Mother’s Day fast approaching now is the time to choose that cheese gift for your Mum!  

If your Mum is a cheese lover, or you are just tired of…

We appreciate that not everyone lives in North Yorkshire to buy cheese from The Courtyard Dairy and click here to view  some of Andy and Kathy’s favourite cheese shops and…

I’m often asked if the natural blue vein that finds its way into non-blue cheese is edible.  The answer is: by and large, yes.

But what is it and how…

The Courtyard Dairy pays tremendous attention to ensure the highest quality of cheese is sold in the cheese shop or sent out for delivery direct to the customer, so that…

If you have cheese lover as a friend or relative, then a cheese gift may just be the perfect present for them, whether it’s for their birthday, a special treat…

Scotland had lost all its farmhouse cheeses. They’d all gone to the great farmhouse cheese heaven.

In 1972, the Scottish Farmhouse Cheese-makers Trophy was discontinued, but a recent resurgence has…

If you’d like to add height to your cheese wedding cake why not add separators between each layer.

See more about how these separators work by clicking below.

It’s not all about cheese!  Sometimes Kathy and I have to eat other things too.

Click below to read more are some of the favourite places we have found to buy…

The English have a trump card – Stilton.  An elderly English cheesemonger once visiting me in France once said: “The French still can’t do the blue ones, eh?”  To be…

Christmas and cheese go hand in hand, and there simply isn’t a better way to finish off the Christmas meal than with a glass of Port and a chunk of…

Botton Village (and creamery) on the North Yorkshire Moors finally gets some recognition it deserves for the mighty fine Yorkshire cheeses it makes.

September 29th 1998.  10 days before the British Cheese Awards results are released.  Will Montgomery’s Cheddar win ‘Best Cheddar’ and ‘Best Traditional British Cheese’ for the third year on the…

Details and an introduction into five of the best newly invented British Artisan cheeses from this year.  Including Baron Bigod, Cais Na Tire, Little Anne…

Cheese mites. An age-old enemy. They revel in life’s lactic joys , burrowing they way deep into the rind. Slowly but surely eating their way through dry, aged cheese, turning…

Rennet is one of the most important tools in making any cheese.  But how does it work and what does it do?

Read more by clicking the link below.

James Aldridge became a leading figure in the revival of specialist farmhouse cheese. It is thanks to these visionaries like him that unpasteurised farmhouse cheese was kept alive. They kick-started…

For those of you wanting to buy a cheese wedding cake to help you celebrate your special day, you’ll want to choose cheeses that are important to you and are…

Contrary to popular belief, heart-shaped cheeses are not a recent invention for the Valentine’s Day bandwagon, but originated over 500 years ago. 

To read the story of heart-shaped cheeses, click below….

Part four –  the first few weeks..

Part four of the four-part series on how The Courtyard Dairy was created.  Click below to read more….

Part three – chilling it down.

Part three of the four-part series on how The Courtyard Dairy was created. Click below to read more….

Part two – getting it open.

Part two of the four-part series on how The Courtyard Dairy was created.  Click below to read more….

Part One – choosing the right place for a cheese shop.

Part one of the four-part series on how The Courtyard Dairy was created.  Click below to read more….

Rennet is essential in cheesemaking, but with more and more vegetarian cheeses on the market how does vegetarian rennet fit in?  And how is it different from ‘traditional rennet’?  Does it affect the flavour?…

Getting my hands-upon a frayed ancient cheesemaking book by Dora Saker was the start of my investigations into ancient cheesemaking techniques…

Every Spring Bank Holiday the most important event in any cheese-enthusiasts calendar takes place…. Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling. When mad men (and women) chase after a 9lb cheese chucked down the…