Greetings!
All in all its a bit of a relief to be in 2010. We know by now that in this business Christmas is always going to be really hard work, with months of preparation leading to a really very intense final few days, and this one was no exception. I'm not complaining - it's satisfying to see orders continuing to rise, and there's a great sense of achievement as our brilliant Christmas team sees off yet another stack of boxes.
The weather, though, made for a hard time. Through Christmas and way into January there were real difficulties on the roads all over the country, leading to far more delays than we would normally expect. If you were affected, well, thanks for your patience: you were very understanding. And in the end the fall-out wasn't nearly as bad as I'd at one point feared. Phew.
But now to the present day. Read on for a Valentine's Day reminder, a major food industry non-event, and the story of my visit to Whitelake Cheese.
Special Offer!
Order Whitelake's Rachel, White Nancy or Morn Dew before the end of 7th Feb and you'll get a 50% discount off the regular price. Little Wallop can be had at 30% off. That's got to be good.
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Cheese Shed Not Bought By Kraft
American food giant Kraft has not made an offer for iconic (ahem) British brand The Cheese Shed, despite the fact that a deal to buy Bovey Tracey's leading shed-based virtual cheesemonger could have been secured for far less than the £11.5bn which they paid for Cadburys. Industry sources estimate that the value of The Cheese Shed is approximately £73.50.
There is therefore no danger of the blue shed and the famous underground cheese store being relocated to Poland as part of a cost-cutting exercise. Up to several jobs at the two sites are thought to be secure.
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 Valentine's Day
The 14th Feb is just around the corner and here's the very thing you need! Our Two Hearts box contains a 400g Godminster Vintage Organic Cheddar, and a sweet melt-in-your-mouth White Heart from Whitelake (see below). Presentation really counts, we know, so your two heart-shaped cheeses will be packed in a gorgeous (that's really the only word for it) box in passionate red. If that's not enough, there's an option to add a packet of handmade truffles from top-notch Devon chocolate makers, Brownes.
Rose not included. I know! What a let-down!
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Wallop! Whitelake, Expanding & Experimental.
 Up to Somerset again - this is becoming a habit - and after crossing the Levels the Figaro finally noses into Bagborough Lane, home of Whitelake Cheese
Whitelake is Roger Longman and Pete Humphries. Roger's name caught my attention straight away, as there's a sizeable cheese wholesaler called Longman Cheese Sales just down the road. Roger goes on to explain that, yes, they are related, and that in fact a number of the cheese producers in this area have family connections. His own immediate family made Caerphilly (a well established cheese locally, despite what the name would suggest) for 50-60 years, only ceasing in 1997.
Turning to his partner, Pete - dry humour, trace of a Cheshire accent - was the first employee of Bath Soft Cheese, and worked there for 10 years: great experience, but he was keen to get going on his own. For his part, Roger was dying to get back into making, so the two teamed up and in 2004 Whitelake Cheese was born. The partnership made a lot of sense: Roger had premises, a herd of milking goats and - as you're very aware when you meet him - a lot of energy; Pete was the experienced maker - full of ideas.
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 They started with a quickly-made soft cheese
(relatively easy, low-risk), before creating the mould-ripened White Nancy. This was the first Whitelake cheese we in The Cheese Shed became aware of, and
it's a real classic of its type (we recommend it a lot and people are never disappointed).
Incidentally, Pete, who has a reputation for naming cheeses after women, insists this
is a hill near where he comes from (sure, Pete!).
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 Next came Rachel: this
started out as a 'regular' hard goats cheese. One day a particular truckle developed some black moulds which Pete washed off with brine.
This set off bacterial action which affected the character of the
cheese in a way that he liked. Today's Rachel retains this 'washed
rind' process and the cheese has become their biggest seller. It's a star item,
and as Pete points out, no-one else in the country makes a washed rind
goats' cheese. A niche thing, perhaps ... but they've clearly
made it work.
They're still experimenting (I strongly
suspect they can't stop) and this restless exploration is one of their
hallmarks. When I visited, Pete had just done a market to which he'd taken 21
(yes, twenty-one) different types of cheese. Other Whitelake cheeses you can buy from us
are White Heart, Morn Dew and the wonderful Little Wallop. This last - washed in Somerset Cider Brandy and wrapped in vine leaves - is a miniature marvel. Although devised by Juliet Harbutt and Alex James, it's a good example of Whitelake's desire to keep making new things.
All of which makes our selection seem rather restricted ... but I've a
feeling we'll be bringing you more from Pete & Roger before too long.
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