Fen Farm Dairy releases new cheese, Raedwald
More than a decade since launching the now globally revered Brie-style cheese, Baron Bigod, Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk has unveiled a new seasonal cheese.
Raedwald (named for the Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia) has been a year in the making. It’s crafted to mimic Reblochon, and arrives on the British cheese scene as consumer interest in melting and cooking cheeses continues to soar.
Available to order from mid-January, Jonny Crickmore, founder of Fen Farm Dairy, says the beauty of Raedwald is its seasonality.
“The purpose of making this cheese,” he said, “is we have surplus milk during two periods of the year – one being around Christmas, January, February and March, and the other May, June and July. We want to bring in seasonal cheeses during those times, starting with this one, this year. Seasonality is something I think we should celebrate more… getting excited about the next thing coming up, like asparagus or strawberry season. We want to replicate that in our cheesemaking.”
Raedwald’s profile is aromatic and warm, with a hint of hazelnut at the rind, leading to a “cellar, winey flavour in the paste”.
Led by the classic Reblochon format, the cheese is printed with the national flag on pack (alongside king Raedwald’s helmet, famously uncovered at Sutton Hoo), and layered with a wooden disc to control moisture levels, keeping it in optimum condition.
“I like the story of Reblochon,” Jonny adds. “Apparently, when the tax man came around, French farmers would only half milk their cows. They’d pay their taxes, then after the tax man had gone, they’d finish milking and turn that milk into cheese. If you translate Reblochon into English it means something like ‘high fat milk’. That really resonated with me because we have the highest fat content in our milk from December through to when the cows go out.”
Stocks of Raedwald will be strictly limited in its first year. “I’m really excited,” Jonny added. “And a little bit nervous. Baron Bigod means so much to us as a business and it’s not going to be neglected – it will always be our main focus. But we can’t wait to put out this seasonal cheese.”
Golden Hooves launches AR farm
Award-winning Regenerative dairy brand Golden Hooves is inviting cheese sellers and fans to Regeneration Farm, their brand new Augmented Reality (AR) farm experience, which is going live this month as part of Regenuary celebrations.
Young and old alike can hop over the farm gate and explore this fun, innovative and interactive experience that was created by the Golden Hooves team to celebrate the work that First Milk farmers are doing to put nature, animals and people first, and to help everyone learn about regenerative dairy farming and where their food comes from. We’ve all heard of the term ‘regen’ by now, but do we really know what it means? Now there is a fun way to find out. Simply scan the on-pack code and you will be taken to ‘Regeneration Farm’ via any smartphone, tablet or computer.
“We’d love to give everyone the chance to visit one of our regenerative farms, but it just isn’t possible, so we decided to bring the farm to people’s homes in a fun and less muddy way!’ says First Milk’s Leona McDonald. The AR experience will do just that, providing a tour of the farmyard and fields, guided by farmers, Emma and Steve. This will include time with grazing cows, who are naturally fertilising the soil with every cow pat, a closer look at trees and hedgerows, which are buzzing with plant and wildlife, and a trip underground to see worms tunnelling, as well as microbes, fungi and dung beetles hard at work making sure all that magical cow poo gets put to good use. “We’ll be getting up close with cowpats, wriggling around with worms, and putting the right kind of bugs on your computers and phones!” explains Leona with an emphasis on ‘fun’ being ‘the key to education and engagement’.
First Milk, the source of all the milk that goes into the Deliciously Regenerative Golden Hooves products, is a certified B-Corporation and was awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2023. United by a shared commitment to healthy soil, healthy cows and healthy humans, the co-op’s 700 family-run farms are delivering better outcomes for the planet on a huge scale, supported by regular engagement, research and reporting to ensure that continual improvements can be achieved.
With the launch coinciding with the final phase of the Big Food Redesign Challenge ran by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with the Sustainable Food Trust (Golden Hooves have successfully made it through to the final stage) the AR experience delves into the regenerative story behind Golden Hooves’ products just in time for some “hugely exciting retail launches”, Leona hints.
Younger shoppers support artisan cheesemakers, finds new survey
Research conducted by Vypr on behalf of The Real Cheese Project has uncovered positive news for the artisan cheese community.
The survey found that Millennials and Generation Z shoppers are the most likely to purchase high quality cheese made locally or by small-scale producers – 35.2% of respondents aged 25-34 claimed to purchase artisan cheese on a weekly basis, the average figure dropping to 17.61% across the survey’s 1,000+ respondents.
The research also looked into what aspects of cheese shoppers are willing to pay more money for: ‘better taste’ was the most popular response at 85.14%, ‘higher standards of animal welfare’ was the second most impactful at 79.23% and was followed by ‘support for family farms and local economies’ (78.05%), ‘more sustainable production’ (75.89%) and ‘handmade’ (72.93%).
Men aged 18-44 were revealed to hold the highest levels of interest in artisan cheese, with 42.86% of men aged 25-34 stating that they purchased artisan cheese on a weekly basis followed by men aged 18-24 at 34.48%, men aged 35-44 at 30.38%. 27.78% of female respondents aged 25-34 reported interest in the hallmarks of artisan cheese.
A sobering find was that respondents did not recognise the scale of the UK’s artisan cheese industry; 23.38% of respondents believed that over 50% of total annual cheese sales could be attributed to the artisan sector and 81.16% guessed over 10%, while industry estimates state it stands at around 2-3%.
Sam Brice, co-founder of The Real Cheese Project, said, “Now is a great time to think about why we should be getting behind our small scale makers and independent retailers throughout the rest of the year.
“Big support among Millennials and Gen Z bodes well for the future, but perhaps most encouragingly of all, we’re seeing the vast majority of respondents saying they’re willing to pay more for sustainably farmed, higher welfare, handmade cheese produced by family-run farms using local milk.
“The problem is, most people don’t have any idea how many amazing artisan cheeses we have in the UK, let alone the incredible things that our farmers and makers are doing for both people and planet.
“Alongside the rest of the real cheese community, we’re working to change that, so the rich tapestry of British cheese can remain intact for next Christmas and far beyond.”
You can now read the most important #news on #eDairyNews #Whatsapp channels!!!
🇺🇸 eDairy News INGLÊS: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaKsjzGDTkJyIN6hcP1K
