Speciality Food Magazine - May 2025

CHEESE UNCUT 16 New retail perspectives from industry experts @specialityfood Artisan goats’ cheese maker Norton & Yarrow is back in production following a five-month hiatus, having moved the business from Oxfordshire to Carmarthenshire. Serendipitously, the move has taken co-owner Rachel Yarrow back to the 120-acre farm her parents lived on in the 1970s, with two key reasons for relocating. “We were tenants in Oxfordshire where we started up,” explained Rachel, “and we’d outgrown that tenancy. We wanted our own farm so that we could carry on expanding the business, developing the grading side of it particularly and pasture goat dairying, which is quite unusual in this country. It’s something I’ve got quite passionate about.” Additionally, Rachel says they’ll now be able to produce Norton & Yarrow cheeses with 100% milk from their own herd, rather than relying on supplementing from other farms. It was quite a challenge moving 241 goats across the country, but they’re now happily installed in their new home, and the first batches of cheese (including Sinodun Hill and Brightwell Ash) have already gone out to the cheesemakers’ regular customers ahead of ‘peak milking’ time in the middle of July – all now presented with new labelling, complete with both their original and Welsh names. Excitingly for goats’ cheese lovers, Rachel added that she and Fraser are using the facilities at Food Centre Wales to work on a product with a longer maturing period, inspired by a fact-finding trip to France. “We visited a lot of French cheesemakers with a similar sized herd to us. They’ll make a Tomme, for example when they have their summer milk flush, and mature it over a fewmonths to stretch out the making season.” Watch this space, she said. Big move for goats’ cheese producer Scottish cheesemaker diversifies Errington Cheese, maker of award-winning Lanark Blue and Corra Linn, has officially opened the next phase of its business – Errington’s Barn & Kitchen. Selina Cairns, whose father founded the cheesemaking business four decades ago, said she thinks it’s nowmore important than ever for cheese producers to secure their futures by diversifying. “It’s something more farmers will have to do,” she explains of the decision. “And people want to see the produce, to know what they’re buying and where it comes from. This gives them the opportunity to speak to us directly.” After Covid, when many of the restaurants and hotels Errington Cheese supplied closed, Selina said the team quickly realised they needed to make a bold move as their key customer base disappeared. It’s taken a while to move all the pieces into place, but they’re looking forward to being part of the UK’s burgeoning agritourism sector. “We have a café/restaurant, based on the produce from our farm, so cheese primarily,” Selina explained. “We also have meat – we feed our pigs whey (the byproduct from our cheese) so we’ve got our own bacon and sausages; it’s a seasonal, daily changing menu.” Visitors can also enjoy farmwalks, cheese tastings and farm to fork experiences. Godminster unveils two new cheeses Operating in a climate where organic milk supply is limited, Godminster has decided to branch out beyond its much-loved waxed organic range, adding two new artisan non-organic pre-packed cheeses to its stable. “We see times are challenging for people,” said commercial and operations director Jessica Kimber- Holloway, “so we wanted to introduce a range of slightlymore affordable cheeses that are more of an everyday purchase than a treat. We wanted something that has that Godminster quality and trust behind it, with our quirky touch – so the names are quite fun – but at prices that are slightly more approachable.” There’s a gap in the market, Jessica thinks, between ‘bog standard’ Cheddar, and the kind of premium products Godminster is known for. “If you’re in a farm shop, what do you choose if you want something a bit different, but can’t quite afford a premiumwaxed cheese? What we’ve created are elevated products that form the basis of a step in the right direction of tryingmore interesting Cheddars. And the packaging is bright and quite enticing.” MiddlewickWitch is a mature Cheddar, while Scarlet Crumb is the brand’s new Red Leicester. Both tap into Godminster’s signature use of local folklore andmythology, with the characters based on hunky punks (a type of gargoyle). “One of the best examples of them in the UK can be found on our local church in Castle Carey,” Jessica explained. The cheeses are available in 200g pre-packed portions, ideal for your grab and go selection, with the maker already experiencing a high level of interest. A washed-rind, Alpine-style cheese from Gloucestershire has been named Supreme Champion at the British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025. Produced at Manor Farm in the Cotswolds by King Stone Dairy – a small-scale, regenerative operation – Burford was originally conceived by farmhouse cheesemaker David Jowett as a way to capture the sweet complexity of the farm’s summer pastures. It’s now being made year-round to reflect the seasonality of the farm’s single herd organic cow’s milk, with tasting notes including charcuterie, hazelnut and hints of tropical fruit. David said, “We are delighted to hear that Burford has been awarded the title of Supreme Champion at this year’s British & Irish Cheese Awards! Burford is one of our newer cheeses, only really being in production over the past year or so, so we are especially proud to see the cheese doing so well so soon. I feel that Burford is the combined result of the brilliant milk production by Seb and his team here at Manor Farm, the careful and precise cheesemaking techniques we carry out in our cheese production, and skilled affinage practices carried out in our maturing rooms. The award is a tribute to the quality of farming and craftsmanship of our teams.” Burford named Supreme Champion at British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025 DalterFood Group – a key Italian player in the national and international dairy sector – is now offering a range of cheese products ideal for deli counters, sandwich bars and foodservice operators . Available sliced, flaked and in shavings, the group’s 100% Italian aged Spinoro stands out for its golden hue and enveloping aroma, with a crisp yet delicate flavour that makes it perfect for blending with other ingredients. Spinoro is made exclusively using Italian milk and is Authentic Italian sandwich cheese launched by DalterFood Group suitable for vegetarians. Thanks to its consultative approach and ongoing dialogue with clients, DalterFood Group is also able to develop tailor-made solutions with its Spinoro. With a flexible structure and a strong commitment to delivering high- quality cheeses, the group is the ideal partner for food companies that want to respond to market trends with products offering a truly authentic Italian taste experience.