June already!
We’re ready for summer; JOIN US!
As we continue on the road map to freedom we’re getting excited about what’s ahead this month. Here are some positive thoughts and reasons to be cheerful. Read on to find out more….
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Why is our cheddar special?
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We’ve won another Award for our VINTAGE Cheddar 😃
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Join us to celebrate NATIONAL CHEESE DAY on June 4th
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Have you considered a holiday in the South West?
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Our VISITOR CENTRE is bustling again – watch us make cheese ‘live’
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Some positive reviews we’d like to share
OUR CHEESE
Cheddar is the most popular cheese in the world – and with good reason. It can be mild, strong, creamy, hard, it can have a rind, and can be tingly, crunchy, complex and smooth. Some of us can produce cheddars which have all these qualities.
Thousands of tons of cheddar cheese are sold in the UK every year! We try to replicate how cheddar was originally made – by hand, with raw milk and long-matured in cloth. Most importantly, in the village of Cheddar itself. Hence our strap line:
THE ONLY CHEDDAR MADE IN CHEDDAR
All our cheese is made from raw cow’s milk sourced from one local farm. As a small family run business we have made it our mission to produce heritage cheddar cheese true to its regional provenance and traditions. Since 2003 we have succeeded in doing exactly that, winning some major awards along the way and most importantly, preserving this dying tradition.
We make TRADITIONAL Cheddar by hand with raw milk. This is long-matured in cloth which significantly affects the flavour and texture. We can’t compete with the large scale industrial cheddar cheese manufacturers on price and volume but we do compete on taste! If you’re looking for a cheddar “like it used to taste” with a strong, long, complex flavour then we might have what you’re looking for.
We’re delighted to be OPEN again in Cheddar Gorge – both our shop and Visitor Centre. If you are in the area or passing through Somerset, please call in. We’d love to see you.
Here is a recent photo of the lovely ladies who produce our milk
VIRTUAL CHEESE AWARDS
Cheese competitions have gone all hi-tech! The new VIRTUAL CHEESE AWARDS were held in May – AND we could watch the actual cheese judging ‘live’! This was interesting and scary at the same time. Our Vintage Cheddar won 2nd place in the Traditional Cheddar Cheese Category. This was a lovely surprise for us because our Vintage Cheddar, these days, is much older than it used to be (another consequence of the Pandemic). Normally we mature our Vintage for 2 years but these days it’s 30 months old – the oldest we have ever sold. We closed our shop in Cheddar during each lock-down, which has pushed the age profile on. We were concerned this would be too strong for many, but no, this extended age traditional cheddar is a rarity; and it seems the more mature the cheese, the more you like it!
‘You cannot beat a good cheddar and this one is delicious. Slightly crumbly and full of flavour’
It’s National Cheese Day on June 4th
We’ve decided to make a little celebration of it this year and will be having 3 days of fun in our courtyard here in Cheddar Gorge! Our trusty Gazebo will be up again and we’ll be handing out FREE cheese toasties and warmed cheese straws to anyone we can entice in!
So, if you can make it please come along on either Friday 4th, Saturday 5th or Sunday 6th of June between 1 and 4pm to taste our toasties and learn more about the benefits of eating cheese. Why not book in to one of our afternoon Visitor Centre sessions and watch us make cheese live too?
How about a holiday in the South West this year?
With lockdowns lifting, things are looking up! However the prospect of jumping on a plane and chasing the sunshine is still in doubt, so it increasingly looks like we will be spending another summer at home in the UK.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have a special holiday.
We often overlook our own island due to its familiarity. Before the pandemic, England was one of the most visited countries in the world. Perhaps we shouldn’t dismiss our home soil so quickly. Instead, why not consider what getaways the UK has to offer?
We are the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co. after all, so we have an allegiance to the South West!
Cornwall
Did you know that Cornwall has been classified by the University of Exeter as having a subtropical climate? This puts Cornwall on par with parts of Australia and Vietnam. Turns out you don’t need to jump on a plane for warm weather after all!
If the weather isn’t enough to entice you, Cornwall’s picturesque towns will. Think cobbled streets, multi-coloured houses, and sandy beaches. Due to its stunning landscape, Cornwall has provided the backdrop for numerous television shows, including BBC’s Poldark, and it is the home of the famous Cornish pasty and rich Cornish clotted cream.
Devon
Like Cornwall, Devon has some fantastic beaches on offer, with the added benefit of being slightly closer to the rest of the UK and thus that bit more accessible. Bantham Beach and Croyde Bay are top spots for surfing and body boarding, whilst the Jurassic Coast is your destination for dramatic sea views and fossil collecting. Moving inland, the remarkable tors of Dartmoor provide great walking and epic photography, and there are numerous meandering rivers for paddle boarding. You can eat fresh fish and chips, enjoy some Devonshire Ales, and have a traditional Devonshire afternoon tea (don’t forget, the jam goes on top).
Somerset
Last, but not least: our very own Somerset!
Somerset is of course, home to cheddar cheese! Also cider, strawberries and stunning scenery. We may be biased, but we believe that Cheddar Gorge is something to behold. The 400 feet high cliffs (higher than the Cliffs of Dover) tower above the relatively narrow gorge. Driving through the gorge and watching this landscape unfold is spectacular; something for the bucket list.
There are countless activities to dive into in Cheddar, including cliff top hikes, caving, rock climbing and, of course, we also have a Visitor Centre where you can watch us make our traditional cheddar ‘live’ throughout the day! Click here for more details. No need to go abroad for fantastic cheese when we have award winning cheddar right here.
In Cheddar Gorge – and the whole of the South West – there is plenty to discover, so there is no need to feel disheartened about staying local for your summer holiday. We, here at The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co. embody the local in everything we do. We source our milk from one local farm. Our cheeses mature on site in our stores and within the Cheddar Gorge caves. We are proud of our locality, and we encourage you to be proud too.
Stay safe this summer and book a trip in the UK.
With thanks to our lovely contributor, Carrie Gerard for this enlightening insight into the South West.
And finally, we have received some lovely reviews this week both from people who have visited us in Cheddar and those who buy our products online. Here’s a few we’d like to share…
“I ordered some cheese as a present for a friend on Monday. Here we are on Wednesday morning and the cheese has arrived, well packed and the ice-block still frozen. All the packaging is environmentally friendly too. We visited the shop last September and it is a real treasure – had to queue up at the back and told my husband I wouldn’t be long. Came out the front door with two carrier bags full! So yummy and the cheese straws are the best I have ever tasted, The cave-aged cheese is to die for. Thoroughly recommend the shop and the website”. Thank you Heather (online customer)
“Always helpful staff, always great cheese” Thank you Alex – Google Review after visiting us in Cheddar
“During Covid lockdown it was difficult to get the full experience [our Visitor Centre was Closed at this time] but the shop had good protocols, allowed tasting safely, and was lovely to visit and buy some great cheeses” Thanks Herbie – TripaAdvisor Review
For the time being we still have our COVID protocols in place – for your safety and ours.
By limiting the number of customers into our shop, you may have a short wait. Nobody seems to mind this, and once you are in our shop you will enjoy the cool, calm, spacious space! The personal cheese tasting is less rushed and we are always happy to talk you through the different ages of cheddar – TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
We look forward to welcoming you to Cheddar Gorge this summer
