Cheese Buyer - May 2025

47 DORSET BLUE W hile Dorset Blue Vinny is a fan favourite cheese in 2025, its 300-year old recipe offers cheesemongers a unique opportunity to offer customers a delicious taste of the past. Resurrected in 1980 by Michael Davies onWoodbridge Farm, Dorset, it has been loved by consumers ever since it was brought back to life. It’s no wonder that Dorset Blue Vinny is a favourite with cheese lovers across the UK. A semi-hard blue cheese with a delicate veining pattern, this is a softer tasting blue and not as hard hitting as many other semi hard blues. Perfect with a sweeter biscuit and Dorset Blue’s very ownWoodbridge Chutney – a handmade pear chutney – this cheese is ripe for upselling. Challenges are rife in the cheese sector, but the teambehind Dorset Blue have worked hard to maintain the supply of the cheese to its fans. “It’s tough out there,” explains Emily Davies, daughter of founder Michael. “We have seen our expenses soar over the last four years –most of which we have continually tried to absorb – as this has always been our policy, but unfortunately last year it was sadly an absolute necessity to start passing some of these costs on.” The rising costs will be familiar to all: hard hitting expenses of electricity, ingredients and rapidly increasing labour costs. “We are fortunate to have the most supportive teambehind us now, but Perfect with a sweeter biscuit and Dorset Blue’s very own Woodbridge Chutney – a handmade pear chutney – this cheese is ripe for upselling specialityfoodmagazine.com In themidst of a challengingmarket, Dorset Blue Vinny continues to delight cheese lovers UNIQUELY DELICIOUS it isn’t easy finding the right people to make the best small team, and we are still verymuch a handmade cheese so it’s physical too,” says Emily. Working in such strong headwinds is a hard task, and the Dorset Blue team is finding that it is much harder to plan ahead than it has previously been. “Customers don’t really want to hold stock anymore, so we turn orders round much quicker as they tend to call @DorsetBlueVinny Stock Gaylard | Sturminster Newton | Dorset DT10 2BD www.dorsetblue.co.uk | 01963 23133 Dorset Blue Vinny The Davies family have been making Dorset Blue Vinny at Woodbridge Farm for almost 40 years. Although we can’t give away all our secrets, here’s a little sneak peak into how we make our delicious cheese... Dorset Blue Vinny takes over 24 hours to make. Each morning, we use fresh milk from our herd of 270 Friesian dairy cows. Once it’s been pasteurised, handskimmed and the starter culture, rennet and penicillin mould added, it’s ready to be made into cheese…! Dorset Blue Chutneys We make a small range of handmade chutneys which make the perfect accompaniment for any cheese board. Whether you like something sweeter, spicier or something completely unique, we’ve got a chutney for you. FarmVendingMachine Our farm vending machine is stocked with Fresh Milk, Dorset Blue Vinny, Butter, Soup & Rice Pudding. Together with a variety of delicious local products. Open early to late. when they really need it,” Emily explains. Thankfully, Dorset Blue have the infrastructure to make this a smooth operation for all: “having found a more reliable delivery partner we are handling a growing number of direct sales.” In a challenging market, the business has powered through to be stronger than ever – and to continue to delight fine food retailers with Dorset Blue Vinny, a deliciously unique cheese.