Farm Visits on Film- Neal's Yard Dairy films about cheesemaker visits

We regularly visit cheesemakers to taste and select the batches of cheese we want to mature. A visit to the farm is an invaluable opportunity to understand the seasonal changes affecting the cheese.

Since we made our first short film in 2009, the NEAL'S YARD DAIRY FILM which presents a broad overview of the work we do, we've endeavored to bring you a step closer to the cheesemaker by producing a short film, each year, about a particular cheese. In February we focused on celebrating Cheddar - arguably the most famous of all British cheeses, but sometimes the most overlooked and taken-for-granted. If you missed it we wrote a A Little History of Cheddar blog post support this focus. We also put together a short list of films which give a closer look at the magical, heroic work these cheddar cheesemakers do everyday. We hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did making them.

MONTGOMERY CHEDDAR FILM

Made from unseen footage from the NEAL'S YARD DAIRY FILM, this short film shot on 16mm, uses only natural sound and a more observational approach to give a brief impression of how Cheddar is made. We see how Jamie Montgomery and his team produce his family's esteemed cheese as we go from the milking parlour to the maturing room.

ISLE OF MULL CHEDDAR FILM

Being far removed from Cheddar-country, this film presents a uniquely different setting and approach to making cheese; a variety of breeds of cow graze on pastures and scrub thick with numerous varieties of flora (including wild orchids!). We see the how the Reade family have embraced the many fluctuations brought about by the seasons in the making of this special cheese.

LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER FILM

Situated on the top of the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds and only a stones-throw from the coast, the Jones brothers surely make cheese in one of the most idyllic parts of eastern England. They are both cheesemakers and keen farmers, and their pursuit of the best possible cheese in the dairy is matched by their agricultural efforts in the surrounding fields and pastures (they even rear as much of their own winter feed as they can). Simon has a keen interest in Alpine cheesemaking. Find out how these different recipes meet in this delicious Cheddar-style cheese.

SLEIGHT FARM FILM

This short 'farm-visit' film features cheesemaker Mary Holbrook at her farm near Bath in Somerset. Mary has her own herd of around a hundred home-bred goats, or 'the league of nations' as she calls them, and with their milk makes wonderful cheese; namely Tymsboro, Sleightlet, Cardo and Old Ford. Mary's approach to cheesemaking and farming in general is seemingly circumstantial. However, as we follow her around the farm, the true depth of her knowledge and experience reveals itself. We hope you enjoy watching it.

Share this