In search of the perfect British cheeses to purchase? Learn Andy Swinscoe’s final information, then take a look at our present information for cheese lovers, our assortment of cheese recipes, or head to the olive store to purchase the perfect cheese boards and cheese equipment.
Farmers cheddars
A resurgence in farmhouse cheese making signifies that historically made cheddar is now obtainable from at the very least a dozen cheddar makers across the nation, all of whom produce fascinating, unpasteurized farm-made cheese. What does “conventional” or “farm-made” imply? Merely put, it refers to a product made by caring professionals on their very own farms, utilizing the unpasteurized milk of their very own herd. Such cheeses are made utilizing conventional native micro organism, are at all times “cheddared” by hand, and are bonded to fabric (moderately than waxed or vacuum packed) and aged to kind a pure rind. Making cheddar on this age-old manner creates a cheese that’s distinctive to the farm and has a deeper taste.
Barwheys (Ayrshire)
Created by Tricia Bey in Ayrshire utilizing her personal Ayrshire cattle, having constructed the herd and diary from scratch in 2005. This cheddar is shortly changing into recognized for its complicated and lengthy flavours.
Accessible from:
The Courtyard Dairy (from £6.30/250g)
Dale Finish (Yorkshire)
Made utilizing the normal Dairy Shorthorn breed. This unpasteurised, natural cheddar, aged for 18 months, is made by the Botton Camphill group (the place individuals with mental and studying disabilities are employed to boost the animals and make the cheese). Spicy, stuffed with flavour.
Accessible from:
The Courtyard Dairy (from £8/250g)
Hafod Cheddar (Lampeter)
Created by the Holden household in 2005, they used an early twentieth century recipe to recreate cheddar “because it was” – a a lot slower manufacturing course of. Their cheese is wealthy and buttery, bringing out the perfect of the hilltop farm and the wealthy milk of Ayrshire cattle.
Accessible from:
The High quality Cheese Co. (from £9.79/250g)
Neal’s Yard Dairy (From £12.55/250g)
Isle of Mull (Argyll and Bute)
After making cheese with Montgomerys, the Reade household moved to the Isle of Mull to arrange their very own farm and make this ‘fashionable basic’. Their cows are fed the ‘daff’ from the close by whiskey distillery and the ensuing cheese is sharp and fruity.
Extra like this
Accessible from:
DukesHill (from £7.95/200g)
Keens (Somerset)
One of many cheddar makers of previous: ‘cheese has been made right here for so long as anybody can keep in mind’, says the present era of James, who makes cheese along with his father George. Their cheeses have that basic sharp cheddar chew.
Accessible from:
cheesegeek (from £7.95/200g)
High quality Cheese Co. (from £7.15/250g)
Poacher in Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire)
Simon Jones made his first batch of cheese in 1992 on his household farm in Lincolnshire. Based mostly on a cheddar recipe however with a little bit of alpine cheese methodology, this cheddar has a barely waxier texture and fruitier, sweeter notes so as to add to that conventional cheddar contact.
Accessible from:
The Cheese Society (from £6/250g)
Loch Arthur (Dumfries and Galloway)
A Scottish-based sister group of the Botton Camphill group (see Dale Finish, above). Loch Arthur is from Dumfriesshire and the creamery is as soon as once more offering employment for individuals with studying disabilities who work within the fields and dairy. Their cheese is offered at 9 months previous and is barely milder, with a softer texture and full flavors.
Accessible from:
Kilnford (£5/250g)
Montgomery’s (Somerset)
Jamie Montgomery, one of many archetypal conventional cheddars, makes a mighty high-quality cheese on his farm in Somerset. Caramelized, meaty and wealthy complicated flavors are why this cheese is so nice.
Accessible from:
Pong (from £14.95/500g)
Neal’s Yard Dairy (From £9.20/250g)
Quickes (Devon)
Mary Quicke’s father began making cheddar once more on their household farm within the Seventies, adopting the previous technique of cloth-wrapped conventional cheeses. Now one of many UK’s bigger farmhouse cheese makers, they produce some nice conventional, old style cheddar, nonetheless utilizing all their very own milk.
Accessible from:
Ocado (oak smoked, from £4.75/175g)
Quickes (aged cheddar, from £5.75/200g)
St Andrew’s Cheddar (Fife)
Jane Stewart initially began out on the coast in Fife making a Cheshire recipe (Anster), however now additionally makes a small batch of farmer’s cheddar from the unpasteurised milk of her personal cows. St. Andrew’s Cheddar is a strong, sturdy Cheddar – even at 10 months of age.
Accessible from:
St Andrew’s Cheddar (from £5.50/200g)
Westcombe (Somerset)
After a protracted interval of constructing ‘block’ cheddar, Richard Calver restored their farm to its former glory and began making conventional cheese in 2001. cheddar that graces among the finest cheese retailers within the nation.
Accessible from:
Pong (from £7.95/250g)
Subject & Flower (From £4.98/200g)
Westcombe Cheddar (from £6/250g)
Winterdale Shaw (Kent)
Robin Betts began making cheese in 2006 after constructing a mannequin for an eco-friendly dairy on his household farm. The cheese cave is to this point underground that it stays cool naturally and does not want refrigeration, and the warmth from the workspace is used to warmth their home, even their automobile is electrical! With the unpasteurized milk from the household farm, he produces fascinating cheddar with completely different flavors.
Accessible from:
Chart Farm (from £10/500g)
Ashcombe (Gloucestershire)
A Morbier type cheese that took the plate by storm on the Artisan Cheese Awards in 2021. It has a candy nuttiness and a line of wooden ash working down the center.
Accessible from:
Paxton & Whitfield (from £12/250g)
Pong (from £8/200g)
The very best of the remainder
Cape New
Sarah Hampton makes thrilling cheeses with milk from her 60 goats in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Capra Nouveau is her placing creation. Based mostly on French recipe methodology, this clean cheese is washed in farm cider to offer it a fruity, appley contact.
Accessible from:
The Courtyard Dairy (from £6.90/200g)
Beauvale
An excellent creamy blue cheese, Stilton type. Made by Cropwell Bishop Creamery in Nottingham, it’s clean and spreadable in texture, with a clean flavour.
Accessible from:
Cropwell Bishop Stilton (£25/800g)
Baron Bigod Brie
Unparalleled British Brie made by Jonny Crickmore, whose dedication to high quality has clearly set him heading in the right direction. With the unpasteurized milk from his household farm, Jonny makes a Brie type to match the perfect Brie de Meaux. Nicely price searching for out.
Accessible from:
Ocado (£9.50/250g)
The Courtyard Dairy (£9/250g)
Roll proper
David Jowett has labored for among the UK’s prime cheesemakers and cheesemongers. Based by himself in mid-2015, this cheese has made its mark on the British scene. It’s a buttery cheese with a washed rind, smooth, unctuous and melting within the mouth.
Accessible from:
Paxton & Whitfield (£14.95 every)
Pong (£9.95 every)
Generally with us
Made with wealthy sheep’s milk from Errington’s farm within the wild Pentland hills overlooking Edinburgh, this tough cheese is paying homage to a wealthy Manchego… however with a touch of Scotland! Christmas 2015 would be the first launch of this 12 months’s new spring cheeses, and at six months previous they’re wealthy, honeyed and floral.
Accessible from:
Neal’s Yard Dairy (From £19.60/250g)
The Cheese Woman (£9.20/200g)
Caerphilly gorse
This crumbly Caerphilly received Tremendous Gold on the World Cheese Awards 2022, making it one of many prime 16 cheeses on the earth. It’s mushroom-like, semi-hard and barely bitter, with an edible pores and skin and a recent, lemony core.
Accessible from:
Paxton & Whitfield (from £9.75/250g)
Classic Sparkenhoe
That is for individuals who like a powerful, matured cheese. Jo and David Clarke began making purple Leicester on their farm in 2005. This classic model is generally offered after 4-6 months, however is a whopping 18 months previous and is due to this fact extra classic cheddar in type, highly effective and powerful.
Accessible from:
Actual Meals Hub (£7.50/250g)
Younger Buck
A blue cheese to make any stilton run for its cash. Based mostly on an identical recipe, Michael Thompson handcrafts solely small batches of this sought-after cheese, utilizing unpasteurized milk and barely much less sting than most stiltons. This permits for complicated, wealthy and clean blue flavors that linger on the tongue.
Accessible from:
The Courtyard Dairy (from £8.95/250g)
Jarlington
Washed in cider, Yarlington is the results of a collaboration between cheesemaker David Jowett, cidermaker Tom Oliver and Cellarman Sam. Extraordinarily unctuous and mushroom-like.
Accessible from:
cheesegeek (£10 every)
Rennet & Rind (£8/220g)
About Andy and The Courtyard Dairy
Andy Swinscoe owns The dairy within the courtyard in Yorkshire. He based it along with his spouse Kathy in 2012 (each pictured above), after a few years working for among the prime cheesemongers in France, London and the South West; together with a cheese maturation course at Herve Mons close to Lyon.
The Courtyard Dairy received The Greatest New Cheese Retailer on the 2013 British Cheese Awards and was runner-up within the Yorkshire Meals Vacation spot of the 12 months 2013 class. Following these awards, The Courtyard Dairy additionally received ‘Greatest Cheese Counter’ and ‘Cheesemonger of The 12 months’ at The World Cheese Awards 2013; earlier than coming second in BBC Radio 4 Meals and Farming Awards 2014 ‘Greatest Meals Retailer’. Andy additionally shares Hebden goat cheese, which was topped Supreme Champion on the 2023 Artisan Cheese Awards.
