Wanted: Help for British cheese makers

I went to do a presentation for Jongia UK’s Dairy Conference in Whythall recently, in front of an assortment of small cheese makers (http://www.jongiauk.com/). They were very kind and did not openly mock my speech-making skills. They had questions afterwards about the industry, which I tried to answer but basically didn’t.

It is a very hard job, being a small cheese maker ­ you have to not only have the skill and ability to make great cheese, you have to be an environmental impact, health & safety, waste disposal, marketing and sales expert. It is just not enough to want to be a cheese maker and provide the world with a delicious product.  I will not even start on the livestock aspects.

The question is, are we doing enough here in the UK to support the cheese maker’s aspirations? Even for those who don’t want to expand to the supermarkets or overseas, help needs to be had so they can continue to provide their cheese to the local farm stores, farmers¹ markets and specialist retailers.

Information and assistance must be offered for topics such as the continuing issue of waste disposal ­ can I dispose of my whey and perhaps even get an income for it? What are the key aspects of opening a retail shop? The conference answered some pressing issues, and kudos should be given to Jaap de Jonge for organising it.

This is one of a multitude of questions cheese makers have. Where can they find the answers? Who in the UK is looking out for the smaller guy? Where is the government incentive, as in Ireland, to push the products globally?

We make around 700 great, diverse cheeses here in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. British cheese makers are willing to try to make almost any type. Anything you can think of has a British cheese maker, working away, making their version. They deserve our full support and some answers.