As you probably know, the majority of our cheese is sourced via world-renowned artisan cheese retailers Neal’s Yard Dairy. Jamie Hall from Neal’s Yard set our cheesemongers a challenge back in June 2016: they had to sell 15kg of the last raw-milk farmhouse Lancashire in the world, Kirkham’s Lancashire, per week for the next 3 months. The team stepped up and smashed this target selling on average 20 – 25kg per week.

The team were delighted to be rewarded with a trip to Beesley Farm in Goosnargh where Kirkham’s Lancashire is made. The Kirkham family has been farming and making cheese for three generations. Today, Graham Kirkham and his partner Kellie and sons Mike and Shaun are all involved in the business.

Catherine, Lizzie and Saffron spent two days learning all aspects of the cheese making process and meeting the cows responsible for the amazing raw milk from which this buttery cheese is created. Graham taught them how to separate the curds from the whey and they enjoyed doing this themselves before the curds were pressed ready for the moulds. They then learnt how to cloth the cheese before it’s matured for 3 months.

What sets Kirkham’s Lancashire apart from other cheeses is the quality of the milk and the long, slow make. The result is a cheese that tastes intensely of the milk that was used to make it, with an extraordinarily complex and long-lasting flavour. Ask our cheesemongers for a sample next time you’re in the Delicatessen.