Somerset Cheesemakers

Somerset has been cheese country since monks first drained curds in quiet cloisters, and we still feel that lineage in the damp air of our maturing rooms. Somerset Cheesemakers began as a partnership between three farmstead dairies who refused to let their milk leave the county anonymously. We built shared cellars, shared knowledge, and a shared belief that British cheese deserves the same reverence found anywhere in Europe — without pretending we are anything other than Somerset farmers.

Our milk comes from grass-fed herds grazing the Levels and surrounding hills. Where regulation and safety allow, we work with raw milk because flavour begins in the pasture and survives only when handled with skill. Each cheesemaker owns their recipes — clothbound cheddars bandaged by hand, soft cheeses turned daily, washed rinds brushed with brine until they bloom. Batches are small because cheese is living; it needs eyes, hands, and time.

Maturation is where patience pays. Wheels rest on oak boards in cellars where temperature and humidity are watched as closely as livestock in the field. A cheddar bound for eighteen months receives the same attention as a young fresh cheese destined for market within weeks. We taste constantly, trim judiciously, and never rush a wheel to shelf before it is ready.

We run cellar tours for shops and chefs, publish pairing notes without pretension, and reinvest in oak shelving, drainage, and training for young cheesemakers who will inherit damp rooms and exacting standards.

Today our cheeses reach Maxwells and farm shops across the south-west and beyond. We train apprentices, support neighbouring dairy farms, and speak openly about how each wheel was made. Somerset gave Britain some of its finest dairy traditions; we intend to keep that story alive — one batch, one cellar, one honest bite at a time, for as long as grass and milk allow.

Values: Artisan, raw milk where appropriate