Southwest England Run

Each week a member of Neals Yard Dairy makes a 'run' to the farms and cheesemakers responsible for the best cheese that Great Britain has to offer.  During that run, they pick up cheese that will go to the caves of Neal's Yard and/or straight to their own counters.  This trip allows them to go straight to the source, communicating with the producers and being involved with the incredible resources that are available when you have such strong relationships like the ones that Neal's Yard Dairy employ.

The van - my attempt at picture at 5:30 a.m. proves to be a disaster.

                                                 

There seemed to be a little rock formation on the way to the farms.  I think it is called Stonehenge.

Matt Ayre was my driver.  He is a cheesemonger at Neal's Yard who has his Master's in Medieval Study.  The perfect host for the day.  He often drives to the farms to get the cheese - he is super intelligent and helpful!!!

                       

1st Stop:  Keen's Farm

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What a picturesque drive.  The county of Somerset is known for it's beautiful villages, agriculture, and incredible countryside.  Of course, it's history is as magnificent as it's physical beauty.....

12th Century Farmhouse lived in by George & his brother, Stephen

                                                

 Interestingly, the terrain in Somerset has quite a lot of hills.  Admittedly, this may be just the perspective of a Midwesterner.  Of course, what I'm thinking of is the fact that cow's are not the biggest fan's of hills.  In fact, oftentimes, the cow's tend to stop milking with the prospect of living in hill country.  However, this undulating terrain does not prohibit the success of cow pasturing, in large part, because the pastures are extremely rich and fertile.

George Keens showing off his Moorhayes Farm butter.  (No relation :-)

                                                  

A lot of work goes into the Cheddar making process.  On the left, is one of the farm hands, flipping the cheddar out of it's cloth wrapping and into a shape holding form.  On the right is the cheddar, only a few days old, in a special humidity controlled room, letting nature take its course.  Go here for a cool article on George and the farm:  Food Hero.

2nd Stop:  Montgomery Farm

During our stop Jamie Montgomery came out to welcome us.  He is a gregarious gentlemen with a "proper" English accent.  His family has lived on the land since 1911 with the family making cheese for the last 3 generations.  He was able to bring us up to date on the drought that the country has been experiencing (since this picture it has rained 5 consecutive days) and how the potato planting (that his brother manages) on the grounds have been going.  

     

A look inside the Montgomery aging rooms.  With many different batches (different production dates) and even a little bit of experimental cheese(see below), the space is vast and very impressive.

        

Although there wasn't a big chance to talk cheese, we got to see a ton!  The farm is large - with a total of 1200 acres and 150 Jersey Cows and 100 Friesian Cows.  If you would like an in-depth look into the process of making cheese at Montgomery Farm, go here:  Fx Cuisine.

Some of Montgomery's Smoked Cheddar 

Vas is das!!  Sitting on the palette, in the farm's cooling room, was a special delivery waiting for Zingerman's Mail Order.

Not your typical pre-Chaucer farm :)


  

The castle that the family lives in is located across the road from the farm and is extremely beautiful!!!!

     

Just to be clear, there is no exact knowledge of Camelot.  But, what I've learned is that they have it narrowed down to three spots (all three of which we saw on our trip), with the most likely being just off outside of the Montgomery Farm.  

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3rd Stop:  Sleight Farm

Home to the former museum curator, Mary Holbrooke, this farm has been in the family for generations.  Belonging to her husband, Mary began making goat's milk cheese here with 2 goats!  She is a real treasure and you can be sure to find an interview with her, in a future Cheese Trippin' blog.

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The many parts of farm include the feed barn, the slaughterhouse, and the view from the farm.  From there, you can see the city of Bath in one direction and the city of Bristol, in another.  

   

You probably can't tell, but the goats in the picture on the right, turned to look at me when I stooped down to take the shot.  Needless to say, I had their full attention and, no, no one got hurt.

The beautiful Sleight Farm