An Update and an Invitation from High Weald Dairy
Sarah's Musings
Oh dear, as you might have noticed I am calling the attached an update as I feel I can no longer call my offering a ‘monthly’ newsletter because it has been far from that, for which I apologize. There is no real excuse, I could mention my inability to prioritise and my ability to procrastinate, but, enough of that, I have finally put pen to paper or, more accurately, finger to key and hope to update you on the happenings at High Weald Dairy of which there have been many
Goodbyes and Hellos
Michael, our esteemed Cheese Maker with 50 years of cheese making experience, 10 of which he spent with us, decided in June to take a very well deserved rest from all that is making cheese and has retired. We are missing him hugely, his quiet authority, his knowledge and attention to detail and are secretly hoping he might return occasionally to impart more of his wisdom to us.
Chris, our Apprentice Cheese Maker, has stepped admirably into Michael's shoes. He appears to be thriving in his new role as Head Cheese Maker and is now ably assisted by Gary and Stefan who both joined us in August.
Awards
Thankfully Michael has taught Chris well and our cheeses are still winning awards, most recently at the British Cheese Awards held at the Bath & West Show a Gold for Smoked Ashdown Foresters, a Sliver for Ashdown Foresters and a Bronze for Saint Giles. And most notably at the International Cheese Awards held at Nantwich a Silver for Sister Sarah and for Brighton Blue, of which we are rightfully proud.
Life on the Farm
The herd on the farm is known as a block Autumn calving herd, which means all the cows calve from late August to early October so Jon and Gary the herdsmen have had many sleepless nights whilst 250 cows have been calving.
Wood to Burn
To further reduce our reliance on the ever decreasing stock of fossil fuels Mark is overseeing the installation of a log boiler which we will use to heat all the water in the dairy. Switching to renewable firewood will save some 44 tons of CO2 per year and along with our Solar photo electric panels, we are well on the way to reducing, substantially, our carbon footprint. We will source the logs from the farm's woodland, enabling us to manage the woodland.
Not Enough Hours in the Day and So much Cheese to Make
This Summer we have been overwhelmed by how much cheese people have bought in particular our Brighton Blue cheese and our Halloumi Cheese, this is wonderful and very humbling for us but does mean some of our other cheeses, most notably our Tremains Cheddar and Ashdown Foresters are not always available for which I apologise. We don't intend to stop making them but sometimes their availability will be limited, but perhaps this makes them even more special!
Cheese Making Courses- Vouchers
Our Cheese making Courses are still being very well received, this year we have places left on our courses taking place on Friday 31st October and Friday 14th November. And dates for 2015 can be found on our website . We also sell vouchers which I believe make wonderful Christmas gifts for anyone who loves cheese and would enjoy spending a day with like-minded people learning more about the magic that is making cheese. For more information Click here or contact me Sarah, sarah@highwealddairy.co.uk or phone 01825 791 636.
Christmas- Mini Cheese Fest- Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th December
To thank you all for your continued support we would like to invite you to join us for our Mini Cheese Fest, this year taking place here at Tremains Farm On Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th December from 10am to 2pm. There will be cheese to try, festive cheer to share and the chance to make up hampers for you and your friends.
Brighton Blue
Yes our cheese makers like Father Christmas' elves are busy making lots of Brighton Blue cheeses in different shapes and sizes, including our 400g triangles so well received last year. What better way to round off your Christmas Meal than with a piece of locally made Brighton Blue Cheese? I just hope we’ve made enough!
Christmas Gifts – Last Posting Date – Monday 15th December
We are happy to send out hampers or wedges of cheese for you, details on our website and our last posting date to do so is Monday 15th December.
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A favourite autumnal cheese, Smoked Ashdown Foresters.
We wish Michael the very best in his well deserved retirement.
Award winning Brighton Blue
The September weather has been kind to the new life on the farm.
Switching to renewable firewood will save 44 tons of CO2 per year.
Recent Cheese Course Graduates showing off their wares!
Join us for our Christmas Cheese Fest on the 13th and 14th December.
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