Speciality Food September 2025

of a tour of the factory. There’s not many cheese factory’s open to the British public – it’s not the easiest thing to do – but I came up with a plan, the idea being it is a cross between knowledge, history and a lot of entertainment. I didn’t realise how popular it was going to be!” Steve (who handily is also a toastmaster, which helps in his delivery of the tours) says he thrives off the buzz of public visits, which are often fully bookedmany weeks in advance. On arrival there’s a briefing and lots of audience participation. “I love the interaction,” Steve smiles. “It’s not scripted or written down, the tour is all down to the group on the day and prompted by myself. I take them around the factory, showing them cheesemaking from our point of view– and how you canmake something so incredible with just four ingredients, tasting throughout. We then go to the maturing room where they can see over 4,000 wheels beingmatured, learning about our signature cheese, Brighton Blue and taking a few selfies, before we head upstairs for a full tutored tasting around a big table, working through the cheeses we have, maybe relating them to recipes they can use them in or what would go with them on a @specialityfood assistingmaking cheeses, as Allison talks through what to look and feel for, waxing and turning cheeses. “It’s very hands-on and interactive.” Three glamping units are in situ on the 20 acre site. Allison says they could easily expand, but have no plans to. “You can kill a golden goose,” she laughs, revealing that the appeal of their business is its rural location and peace. “It’s just a lovely place to come for a quiet cheesy weekend!” All kinds of customers find their way to Teesdale, she continues. “We thought it would be middle-aged, affluent people, because we make artisan cheese, by hand, in small batches – it’s not cheap. But we’re actually seeing quite a lot of young people and that’s interesting. Part of that might be because we’re adult only. We’re a quiet idyll over the hill where people can unplug and recharge with cheese during the day, and a wood-fired hot tub in the evening.” Allison thinks consumers today are getting “jaded” by all the marketing thrown at them– seeing commercialism and online lives as being the major reasons for the agritourismboom. “People are craving authenticity. We source our milk from the family farm, our cheese is made andmatured here, they can get a real taste of the local area here. People want something they can touch, feel and smell - ingredients with provenance and connection. Everyone who comes here enjoys it, and we get them coming back again and again. One couple has visited us three times this year so far!” There is definitely a sense of ‘use it or lose it’ she feels, especially as lots of hospitality destinations close their doors. “People who enjoy what we do, want to support us, and that’s lovely.” BURT’S CHEESE, CHESHIRE EXPERIENCE: CHEESEMAKING Burt’s Cheese founder, Claire Burt, says she relishes being able to teach others the art of cheesemaking during her courses - especially as she gets to see firsthand the spark in their eyes as they realise the connection between what they buy and where it comes from. “I think dairy still has a little bit of magic around it,” she says. “It’s not something you necessarily would know how to make at home or would usually even try to make at home. People will bake bread or make cakes, but dairy has this mystery. Traditionally people would have made cheese in their farmhouse, but today everyone’s so removed from that. What we do is give them the opportunity to come and see the magic in action and to reconnect with cheese. Watching the milk go to curd, that transition, it’s so satisfying. People are genuinely interested in learning more.” Claire began her classes three years ago, around the time energy prices had nearly doubled, and milk prices crept up. “I was looking for another revenue streamwhich wouldn’t add extra cost to the business. We had space and time, and it’s something I’d thought about in the past, but this was mostly driven by a need to look at how else we could make the business work. “We moved to Bidley Dairy in 2023. It’s got a lovely cafe and a car park and toilet facilities. Being here meant we offeredmore of a destination. People can spend time with us, then go for a walk, have a coffee or an ice cream and visit the cows. It works really well.” The Burt’s Cheese experience begins in the onsite cafe before leading small groups of no more than six to the workshop. “I try to get as much as possible into two-and-a-half hours,” says Claire. “We rennet a vat I’ve pre-started with starter culture so people can see the transformation. An hour later the curds are ready to cut – and that’s the best bit for most people. “Then we do a clean break test, cut the curds andmould them, and I look 46 after them, draining, salting, piercing andmaturing so they’re ready to collect three weeks later – though we can send them out if people cover the post and packaging.” In the session attendees also drain a lactic curd to take home at the end of the day, and to churn butter, seasoning pats with flavoured salts (again to take home). “We do a tasting of our cheese as well. It’s quite a lot,” Claire says Feedback has been “fantastic” she adds, explaining that visitors enjoy the format and are always surprised by the bang they get for their buck. HIGHWEALD DAIRY, SUSSEX EXPERIENCE: TOURS AND TASTINGS Head of cheese experiences is quite a title – and it’s one Steve Saunders of HighWeald Dairy takes seriously. He says he loves taking visitors on tours, helping them to discover new things about the wonderous world of cheese, and seeing their faces light up when they tuck into samples. Like others, cheese experiences were brought into the business just after Covid. “We were looking at how we could open our doors to people more. People, even after Brexit, wanted to knowwhere their food is from, and I came up with the idea