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Milk supply and price issues hold back UK goats’ cheese By PATRICK McGUIGAN
ROSETHORN BLUE In a nutshell: Barkham Blue was named supreme champion at this year’s British Cheese Awards, but Two Hoots Dairy also makes another blue cheese that often flies under the radar. While Barkham is made with Channel Island milk, Rosethorn Blue is made with pasteurised Friesian milk from local farmers. It is matured for around six weeks, has a pretty grey-blue rind and comes in 1kg rounds. Flavour and texture: Less dense than Barkham, Rosethorn has a soft, creamy texture, gentle spiciness and mellow blue tang. History: Located in the village of Barkham, Two Hoots is run by Sandy and Andy Rose and daughter Nia. The couple were originally animalmad smallholders (the company is named after some rescued owls) but eventually moved into cheesemaking in 2003 after being inspired by their cousins Anne and Andy Wigmore.
The artisan goats’ cheese market in the UK is being held back by the limited supply and rising price of milk, according to Iona Hill, owner of Ribblesdale Cheese in Hawes, Yorkshire. The cheese-maker told FFD that supply issues surrounding goats’ milk were likely to discourage new producers from entering the market and were inhibiting new product development. While cheese-makers with their own herds have protection against supply problems, small producers that buy from third parties are left exposed to fluctuations in the market. This happened last year when there was a severe shortage of goats’ milk in the UK due to rising consumer demand allied to a drop in production in the UK and Europe. Although the situation is less critical this summer, supplies of goats’ milk are still tight and unreliable, said Hill. “If you are a very small processor, maybe off the beaten track, and only want small volumes and infrequently, then I think you will experience problems,” she said. “This presents a massive barrier to entry for most start-up goats’ cheese-makers.” Ribblesdale, which buys 150,000 litres of goats’ milk a year from
Price increases and milk shortages will affect NPD and put off new cheese-makers, according to Iona Hill
a local farm, has seen prices rise by around 40% since 2008 and 9.4% in the past two years, but has struggled to pass this on to customers. It is instead looking to make more added value products, while Hill said other makers were switching to sheep and even buffalo milk. “An understanding by the large wholesalers of our cost base and a better appreciation of the value and quality we generate [would help],” she said. “Otherwise there will be little true British artisan goats’ cheese in the UK and a lot of imported cheaper cheeses.” Terry Jones, secretary of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association, said the situation had been exacerbated by British goats’ milk being exported to markets in the
Cheese care: Rosethorn has a best before of four weeks from when it leaves the dairy. Store with other blue cheeses. The flavours will intensify as it matures. Why stock it: An interesting counterpoint for retailers stocking Barkham Blue. Like its more famous sister, Rosethorn is mellow enough that it can convert people who say they don’t like blue cheese. Perfect partners: Andy Rose suggests fine oatmeal biscuits and a sweet onion chutney, but it also works well as a cooking cheese in soufflés, melted over mushrooms or in salads and burgers. Where to buy: Various wholesalers, including Harvey & Brockless and The Cheese Man. FFD features a different ‘unsung hero’ from Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association members each month. To get involved, contact: patrick.mcguigan@gff.co.uk
Welsh producer Carmarthenshire Cheese Company will double capacity when it moves to new premises later in the summer with exports a key market for growth. Set up in 2006 by food technologists Steve and Sian Peace, the company is investing £250,000, in the move from its current location at Food Centre Wales in Horeb, where it has reached capacity. The investment includes a £100,000 grant from the Welsh Government. The new premises at Boksburg Hall in Llanllwch will help the company boost production from 105 tonnes last year to 150 tonnes in 2015 and more than 200 tonnes in the future. The company plans to grow exports, particularly to the US, after securing a £22,000 ‘innovation voucher’ from the Welsh Government. This has been used to investigate the science of cheese maturing and improve shelf life without the use of preservatives. The company makes cheeses under the Pont Gâr and Llangloffan brands.
Far East where demand is also high. “Goats’ milk processors large and small are telling us that sourcing milk is a struggle,” he said. “Some of the larger manufacturers are trying to encourage existing herds to expand and new entrants to set up, but that doesn’t really answer the question for artisan producers.” At Shropshire-based Brock Hall Farm, which has its own herd, owner Sarah Hampton said that rearing goats is an expensive business. “It would be far more profitable to buy in the goats’ milk at about 65-70p per litre and slash all the overheads of staff, milking, feeding and bedding and so on.” However, she added the quality, traceability and supply benefits of having control over milk production outweighed the expense. RED LEADER: Appleby’s Cheshire has won this year’s James Aldridge Memorial Trophy, which recognises the best raw milk cheese in the country. The award was presented to Paul and Sarah Appleby at the Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association’s annual general meeting last month. “This is the most valued of all awards amongst us British raw milk producers as it is judged by our fellow cheese-makers,” said Paul Appleby. “We are extremely proud.” The company was set up by Lance and Lucy Appleby (the famous Mrs Appleby) in 1952 at Hawkstone Abbey Farm in Shropshire, where the cloth-bound cheese is still made today. The business is now run by Edward and Christine Appleby and their son and daughter-in-law Paul and Sarah with head cheese-maker Garry Gray. www.applebyscheese.co.uk
www.carmarthenshirecheese.co.uk
Vol.16 Issue 6 · July 2015
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