Here in Cumbria we have a wonderful collection of food producers, including cheese makers. The hard part in putting this article together was working out what’s in or not.
Anyway, what better place to start than the Keswick Cheese Deli – in its own words “licensed to sell awesome cheese”. This small shop tucked away in Packhorse Yard, packs a punch above its size and where better to have a such a shop than in the town whose name itself relates to cheese? The generally accepted interpretation of the name Keswick is “cheese or dairy farm” from the Anglian words cese and wic, from the time when the area belonged to the monks at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. The area around Keswick, however, has evidence of settlement way before then, but that is another tale.
The Keswick Cheese Deli “licensed to sell awesome cheese”
Back to cheese. Whether you enjoy a creamy brie, a stippled blue, smoked or something slightly different, producers in Cumbria are sure to delight your palette. Appleby Creamery, established in 2007 and nestled in the Eden Valley in the north of the county, produces its cheese using milk from cows, sheep and goats. Varieties include soft cheeses like brie and blue cheese through to harder cheeses such as cheddar. Smoked varieties are also available and they have also started producing one of the UK’s first Halloumi style cheese (squeaky cheese as I first knew it!).
Staying in the north of the county you can visit Torpenhow (pronounced tre-pen-na) Cheese Company at Wigton. Here a wide range of cheeses are made using milk from the Jersey-Friesian herd, which is entirely pasture fed. The change of season and which pastures the cows graze reflects in subtle changes to the flavour of the end product. Brie, cheddar and smoked cheddar are some of the varieties on offer.
Heading west to the coast, the Mawbray Cheese company in Maryport uses milk from both Jersey cows and goats, so a range of different flavours and each cheese is named after different villages in the area – an ideal gift to give or for visitors to remember their time in Cumbria.
Thornby Moor Dairy, west of Carlisle in the north has been on the go since 1979 and uses raw milk from cows and goats and sometimes sheep. All cheese is made by hand in open vats and smoked varieties are made using Cumbrian oak.
Inside Courtyard Dairy, near Settle
Just a short hop, skip and a jump to the south of Cumbria is the Courtyard Dairy near Settle, which is a specialist cheese shop and cheese maturer, as well as having a small museum telling the story of cheesemaking. There is also a small restaurant on site to tempt you to stay a while and browse.
Having chosen your cheese, you then need some nice bread and chutney to accompany it and Cumbria has a wealth of options here too – Lovingly Artisan in Kendal, More Bakery which makes amazing seaweed sourdough bread, and Bryson’s in Keswick that produce Lakeland Plumbread, delicious with some white crumbly cheese or even a sneaky blue. Chutneys cover all tastes and we have Wild & Fruitful, Mr Vikki’s and Hawkshead Relish to name just a few. Many of these producers have on-line shops and also have stalls at the numerous markets held in and around the county so you should have no problem finding these treats. Enjoy!
https://keswickcheesedeli.co.uk/
https://applebycreamery.co.uk/
https://torpenhoworganic.co.uk/
https://www.mawbraycheese.co.uk/
https://www.thornbymoordairy.co.uk/
https://www.thecourtyarddairy.co.uk/
https://www.moreartisan.co.uk/
https://brysonsofkeswick.co.uk/
https://wildandfruitful.co.uk/
https://www.hawksheadrelish.com/
About the Author
Alison Shaw, is a Cumbria Blue Badge Tourist Guide. She has been a Cumbrian resident for twenty years, and loves showing visitors Cumbria’s hidden gems- from its rugged coastline and castles to its rich industrial heritage. Alison specialises in finding beauty beyond the popular Lake District, focusing on “working landscapes” and the traditional crafts shaped by the region’s natural resources. Whether you’re taking your first trip or a return journey to the region, Alison will be delighted to help make your visit unforgettable. Meet Alison here
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