It warms the cockles of my heart when I go to small food producers who are so dedicated and passionate about their product in spite of the hardwork and difficulties they face along the way. I was delighted to visit THORNBY MOOR DAIRY Crofton Carlisle
Entering the farm shop and dairy I felt I was stepping back in time where cheese is made the old fashioned, natural, way dictated by the rhythms of the process and not to any manufacturing deadlines. Patience and gentle handling are needed to make the best cheese. The dairy is run by Carolyn Fairbairn and her daughter Leonie. Carolyn started to make cheese from the milk of her small goat herd and later on cow’s milk from a neighbouring farm was used to make these delicious cheeses.
Visit the dairy and you can watch the cheese being made. Local, single herd, raw milk is used and the cheese is made, in open vats, entirely by hand. Variations in milling and storage times results in a good range of cheeses from the traditional ‘Cumberland Farmhouse’, a cow’s milk cheese, with a smooth, buttery texture, ‘Blue Whinnow’ a delicate blue and ‘Bewcastle’ a soft, milk curd delicious served with soft fruit or herbs. The goat’s milk cheese range from the ‘Allerdale’ a British style cheese with a clean, almond like flavour to the roundy ‘Stumpies’ fresh, mini cheeses which can be grilled or fried. All the cheeses are carefully and lopacked by hand.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Carolyn & Leonie Fairbairn
Thornby Moor Dairy
Crofton Hall
Thursby
Carlisle
CA5 6QB
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 5.30pm
Sat 10am to 5.00pm
Tel/Fax 016973 45555
leonie@thornbymoordairy.co.uk
www.thornbymoordairy.co.uk