Speciality Food Magazine -November/December 2025

32 “Sustainable cheese choices for a truly real Christmas” A s the festive season approaches, our tables fill with familiar comforts, the sparkle of lights, the pop of corks, and, of course, the glorious sight of a well-built cheese board. But as we gather around the table this year, there’s a growing awareness that how we fill that board matters more than ever. The way our food is produced, the land it comes from, the animals behind it, and the people who craft it all have a lasting impact far beyond Christmas Day. Across the country, more people are rethinking what they eat and where it comes from. The rise of sustainable, ethical, and agroecological food production has shown that flavour and responsibility can go hand in hand. For too long, the industrial food system has promised cheapness at the expense of quality and care. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and monocropping have stripped life from farmland, damaged wildlife, and compromised soil health. The result is a food culture detached from nature and the people who nurture it. Thankfully, a quiet revolution is underway. A new generation of cheesemakers and farmers is proving that better ways are possible, approaches that nourish the soil, respect animals, and sustain communities. This Christmas, your cheese board can be part of that movement, and this month’s topic is on sustainable cheese choices for a truly real Christmas. Take Stonebeck Dairy in Nidderdale, Yorkshire. They produce a truly seasonal raw milk Wensleydale, using milk only from their own small herd that grazes the land as nature intended. Every decision on their farm, from herd size to pasture management, is guided by harmony with the landscape. There’s no push for expansion, only care and respect for the land that gives their cheese its distinct, authentic flavour. Each bite is a reminder that the best cheese comes from balance, patience, and love of place. In the South Downs, Brett Sacks at Slow Grown Farm follows a similarly thoughtful path. He uses only raw milk and even creates his own starter culture, an increasingly rare craft in modern cheesemaking. Brett farms entirely without chemical JAMES GRANT NO2 POUND STREET fertilizers or pesticides, allowing natural cycles to support his land and animals. His herd is small, around 20 cattle, but his impact is immense. The byproducts from his cheesemaking feed his heritage pigs, creating a closed loop system where nothing is wasted. It’s cheesemaking in complete harmony with nature. At a recent Stiff Milk event, a platform I cofounded with comedian Marcus Brigstocke to celebrate real cheese and its makers, the respected cheesemaker Roger Longman of White Lake Cheese described Brett’s cheese as “the best I’ve ever eaten.” That kind of praise speaks volumes about the craftsmanship and integrity behind these small-scale producers. This spirit of authenticity is what inspired me to found The Real Cheese Project just over a year ago. Its purpose is simple: to champion real cheese and help educate people about why their choices matter. Every cheese we buy is a vote for the kind of farming we want to see in the world. The Real Cheese Project celebrates those who make cheese from the ground up, from soil to animal to plate, and invites everyone to reconnect with the true value of what they eat. Supporting small producers isn’t just a gesture of goodwill; it’s a stand for quality, community, and sustainability. Independent cheesemongers across the country champion these makers because they believe in real food. When you buy from a local shop, you’re helping to sustain an entire network, from farmers and affineurs to local delivery drivers and small-batch condiment makers. And it’s at these shops that Christmas really comes alive. At No2 Pound Street, our queue for cheese stretches down the street in the weeks before Christmas, but no one complains. There’s warmth, conversation, and laughter. People share recommendations, taste samples, and enjoy the anticipation of taking home something genuinely brilliant, cheese chosen for its story, integrity, and flavour. So this Christmas, think about where your cheese comes from. Choose flavour born from healthy soil, raw milk, and good farming. Ask your cheesemonger about the farms behind the counter. Support those who are farming gently, regeneratively, and with care for the land. Every cheese you serve, every board you build, tells a story of good farming, good people, and good food. In a season built around giving and loving and reflection, what better gift could there be than that? ‘The UK needs to back rawmilk cheese’ Is your counter looking a little different this autumn? Cheesemongers and deli counter managers across the UK are feeling the squeeze asmany of the Continental cheeses (fromFrance and Italy) they once relied on have been banned from import by rules around Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). Not only has this reduced choice and the availability of staunch customer favourites, but it puts pressure on Britain’s own cheesemakers, whomay be left to pick up the pieces as retailers look to local producers to fill the gaps. Someone who’s been very vocal about the impact of LSD import bans and the implications going forward for rawmilk cheesesmade both here and overseas, is La Fromagerie founder, PatriciaMichaelson, who is concerned the future of these varieties is at real risk. Restrictions, such as those imposed by the Government in the wake of LSD, are forcing cheesemakers to rethinkwhether they should use rawmilk at all. And somemakers who were entirely raw, have abandoned this ethos as they’ve grown – especially if they’re seeking to export into other markets where rawmilk cheese is banned. “There’s definitely been a change in attitude,” Patricia told Speciality Food . “And this whole LSD problem has brought it to the fore. If Defra or the agricultural department of the Government feel that they can implement a systemwhere they say, for no reason at all (because this is a skin problem, nothing to do with themilk), certain cheeses cannot be sold, despite theWOAHwebsite and French Government saying otherwise, I think that’s wrong! “Canada has also banned rawmilk cheese for no other reason than to say, ‘we don’t think rawmilk not treated above 40°C is safe’. Why? They say thermisedmilk around 50°C is safe, but that still has bacteria in it. I think our Government will go after everythingmade with rawmilk now. In 10 years’ time, I don’t thinkwe’ll see rawmilk cheese coming into the UK.” Patricia has written to the Port Authority and APHA’s issue resolution team, looking for answers about raw milk imports, to no success. “How can they allow thermisedmilk that’s not fully pasteurised to be OK, and not rawmilk?” At La Fromagerie, rawmilk has been an important part of the offering for 35 years. “I think it’s the healthiest cheese possible,” Patricia explained. “Like Parmesan. It’s a long, slow ageing process with rawmilk. As it ages the lactose goes out, and the bacteria that are left are good, because they’ve been fighting the bad bacteria. It’s a superfood of proteins, calcium, vitamins andminerals, but also the bacteria your gut needs.” Should rawmilk cheeses be written off by our Government in the future, Patricia says it will dramatically change the cheesemongering landscape. “We’re starting to see it nowwith the lack of cheese people are able to get. They’re trying similar ones to follow the criteria, but they don’t taste the same. I usually have a lovely Dongé Brie. The people I get it from have a pasteurised version because they sell to the States. It’s a very nice cheese, but for me, personally, it’s nothing like the complexity of the rawmilk cheese. It’s the equivalent of buying sourdough from the supermarket or going to E5 Bakery – the difference is in the taste!” Patricia is hoping for the best, and says when French and Italian rawmilk cheeses become available again, she’ll have a huge celebration. In themeantime, she won’t stop talking about them, and hopes other cheesemongers who share her passionwill be emboldened to lobby and push as hard as she is for their return. “It’s important for us to rally together. Nobody’s being as blunt asme, which is a shame. I will keep writing in andmaking a fuss. After all, rawmilk is testedmuchmore rigorously because of the fact it’s raw. If a cheese goes through a process and nothing has shown up in its profiles, what’s the problem?” Discussions should be ongoing around the future of raw cheesemaking in this country too. “Cheesemakers, if they want to carry on having rawmilk cheese, need to speak up,” Patricia added. “They need to question the regulations all the time. Themore people talk, themore the Government should take notice!” Fruity, savoury, creamy andmature –RubyMist is back. Snowdonia Cheese Co has revived and relaunched its waxed cheese in a newcollaborationwith renowned Port producer, Graham’s – independently owned by the Symington family since 1970. The handcrafted artisan Cheddar is now infused with Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, produced using grapes harvested in the heart of Portugal’s Douro Valley, and aged for five years in seasonedwooden casks. Unfolding slowly, the rich fruitiness of the spirit enhances the flavour of the cheese, while an added dash of French brandy brings a gentle, lingeringwarmth. It’s available to speciality retailers now. RubyMist relaunches @specialityfood