An independent documentary following the journey of new artisan cheese maker, Jake Goldstein of Primrose Creamery in Nottinghamshire in the UK, will be released online from Wednesday 4 November. Made by director of photography Nick James and producer Sam Brice, and supported by Chiswick Cheese Market, “RAW: The Story of a Small Cheese” offers an insight into the challenges, processes and realities of raw milk cheese production.

The film tracks Jake as he prepares to enter the Artisan Cheese Awards for the first time, following him from his daily cheese making duties at the creamery, located at the School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck Estate, right through to judging and the awards ceremony that could prove so important to the future of his new business.

From milk collections to maturation, the film documents Jake as he makes final tweaks to his two raw milk cheeses, Eggleston and Lindley, ahead of their first outing at the Artisan Cheese Awards in Melton Mowbray. Long days of ladling and long nights of anticipation follow, before all is revealed on awards night.

Jake Goldstein, co-founder of Primrose Creamery, commented, “When we agreed to make the documentary, I don’t think I quite appreciated how vulnerable it would feel to let cameras into our lives. Starting a creamery is incredibly hard, particularly working with raw milk, where there’s so much at stake and so much outside your control. Throw the pressure of entering the Artisan Cheese Awards into the mix and it’s been quite a journey. The film is incredibly honest about the highs and lows, and that’s actually quite scary to put out into the world. But I wanted people to see what building something like this really takes.”

Sam Brice, producer, said, “Britain loves its cheese, but there’s a huge knowledge gap when it comes to our understanding of what goes into artisan products, and just how many incredible cheeses we have on our shores. As with every cheese project I get involved in, the goal here is to bring our cheese lovers and cheesemakers a little closer together. With costs soaring everywhere, we need to appreciate everything cheese makers do – from better farming and handmade processes through to preserving our food heritage and creating local jobs – or they simply won’t get the support they deserve.”

“RAW: The Story of a Small Cheese” will be released on 4 November, available to stream globally on YouTube. Running time 20 minutes.

Primrose Creamery’s range of raw milk cheeses are available to purchase from retailers including Neal’s Yard Dairy, La Fromagerie, Buchanans Cheesemonger and many more independent cheesemongers across the UK.