Global Cheese Awards 2024 - Cheeemonger of the Year

Andy win’s British Library ‘Food Hero Award 2025’

17th July 2025

Andy Swinscoe of The Courtyard Dairy is crowned as the British Library’s inaugural Food Hero at the 2025 British Library Food Season Awards The British Library Food Season is known for championing the most exciting voices and ideas in food writing, history, politics and culture. Top of the bill for 2025 is the brand-new Food Hero Award. A shortlist of just eight “outstanding” Food Heroes had been chosen by the Food Season team and key individuals in the world of food, stating “Each of those people has had an outstanding positive impact on the food we eat, food culture or our understanding of food.” Andy, cheesemonger and co-owner of Settle’s renowned The Courtyard Dairy, was awarded the honour of being selected from the shortlist to win and be the very first British Library Food Season Food Hero. “It came as a complete surprise to be chosen as Food Hero,” he said, “Especially because the calibre of the entries was outstanding. This award is a true honour to receive.” The British Library had chosen Andy for the shortlist they said because he is “one of the most knowledgeable, engaging and proactive experts in his area. A successful cheesemonger, he has built…

The Wensleydale Cheese Project

16th July 2025

“The real Wensleydale died during the War, murdered by a pinstripe power … … what a cheese it was, creamy and moist and white with a totally unique flavour”. [Famous Dalesman and iconic Yorkshire cheesemaker Kit Calvert] Introduction The renowned British territorial cheese, Wensleydale, has changed monumentally over the last century. Dying out as a farmhouse cheese in the 1950s the recipe evolved to be more efficient, stable, fast maturing and economic to produce. It became quite a different beast: the crumbly, tart, dry cheese you would associate with the modern-day Wensleydale cheese, that you will find in supermarkets today. In the late 2010s, as part of a general trend for revival of artisan produce and farm cheesemaking, The Courtyard Dairy, and several local farmers in the Yorkshire Dales looked to reverse that trend. Taking influence from old pre-war recipes and notes, scraps of paper and faded photos, they looked to recreate this iconic cheese and construct a new chapter for farmhouse Wensleydale cheese. Trying to piece together knowledge, recipes, and thoughts to establish how Wensleydale used to be made was a challenge. From these same influences three producers eventually developed their own example of Wensleydale: Curlew Dairy, Whin Yeats…

Yorkshire Curd Tarts – they used to be seasonal!

6th June 2025

Today (Whitsun) used to be the day of the year to eat Yorkshire Curd Tarts. Historically, Yorkshire Curd Tarts were a seasonal product and were eaten at Whitsun (49 days after Easter), especially during the local feasts and fairs that were held on this day. And there is a reason why they were made just for this time of year at the end of Spring… Traditionally in the Yorkshire Dales, cows were farmed seasonally and would only be calved in the spring so as to produce milk over the spring summer and early autumn (people didn’t enjoy year-round milk in those days). Calving late spring was ideal because the days were getting warmer and the grass needed to feed the cows and calves was starting to grow again. Traditional ‘turnout day’ in the upper dales, when the cows were released out to grass, is around 15th May. But at this time of year these newly-calved cows wouldn’t produce the best quality milk needed for making cheese or butter. Historically the cows’ feed at this time would often have been supplemented by the poor quality tail-end of last year’s hay – leading to inferior milk. The milk would also have lots…

An interview with Brad & Beth Cunningham, makers of Yr Afr Cheese in North Wales

8th May 2025

Brad and Beth Cunningham make Yr Afr (which translates as ‘The Goat’ in Welsh) in Bethesda, North Wales. Andy interviewed them to find out what makes these fantastic cheese-makers tick. Give a brief synopsis of your business and career. We originally lived in Rossendale with Brad working as a Mechanical Engineer and Beth training as a solicitor. After some time tinkering in our family kitchen trying to make goats cheese (with varying success), Beth was given a job opportunity in North Wales so we both made the decision to move and get a small herd of 5 goats and rented a small section of a local farm. We then were put in touch with Carrie Rimes of Cosyn Cymru who makes some exceptional sheep’s cheese and from there we were given the option by Carrie to take our love of cheesemaking to the next level and rent a section of her dairy to follow our passion. And here we are! What made you get into doing what you do? Quite simply our love of cheese! We used to go to our local cheesemongers quite regularly in Manchester and it was just a couple of YouTube video’s later that we started making some…

BBC Food Programme Cheese Courtyard Dairy

BBC Radio 4: Food Programme. “Is our cheese heritage ancient history?”

17th April 2025

Andy & Kathy from The Courtyard Dairy was excited to be featured on BBC Radio 4’s “Food Programme” this week, in their episode on: “Is our cheese heritage ancient history?”. Discussing their research into British cheese and it’s evolution: past, present and future. They helped Sheila Dillon decode an ancient 112 page ancient vellum manuscript “A Pamflyt Compiled of Cheese, Contayninge the Differences, Nature, Qualities, and Goodness, of the Same” recently discovered by Leeds University and brought it to life. Using inspiration from their pamfylt and other historical references they handmade a recreation of an ancient cheese to the region: Courtyard Dairy Soft. Listen to it here: Find out more fascinating facts about cheese – simply sign up to The Courtyard Dairy monthly newsletter for regular exciting offers and interesting info. from the cheese-world. Sign up here.

A History of British Cheese, part 2: Pre 20th Century Cheese-making Practices

26th September 2016

Goat, cow and sheep cheese making was around in Britain during the time of the Celts, who simply let milk go sour (turning acidic exactly as it does today if you let your milk go off). This would have happened quite quickly in those days before refrigeration and efficient cleaning. The ‘souring’ curdled the milk, so that it could then be drained through cloth leaving behind a fresh cheese. We still have a legacy of this type of cheese in the UK – cottage cheese, for example, and Scotland’s Caboc and Crowdie (all now produced in this style in a much more controlled manner!). Classic British cheeses as we know them today (hard, firm cheeses) really owe their legacy to the Romans. Those invaders brought with them tried-and-tested cheese-making techniques (including the use of rennet, which they’d learnt from the Egyptians). The addition of rennet causes milk to set into a firm curd. From this curd even more moisture (whey) can be removed, and a firm cheese, ideal for ageing, can then be made. Subsequent invaders and settlers to Britain (including the Vikings, Saxons and the French, with their monastic traditions) would also bring their own customs, traditions and cheese-making…