milk type
Cow
ingredients
MILK, salt, rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw or Pasteurised
location
Ceredigion, Wales
milk source
Own herd
breed
Ayrshire
season
All year
average age
10-18 Months
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Hafod is made on a Welsh dairy farm where almost all of the cows' feed and bedding is produced on the farm's land.
background
Almost 100 per cent of the herd's diet is grown on the farm's land, as is the straw for the indoor bedding: for the past four decades the family have been working toward a system where the farm is wholly self-sustaining. Although Hafod is made according to methods described in the classic 1917 manual Practical Cheddar Cheese-making, the Holdens and their head cheesemaker Tess continue to refine the make according to feedback and research. For example, a trial in 2019 revealed that no-cloth cheeses were firmer and breaking down more slowly than the clothed cheeses. Since then, all the cheeses selected for sale by Neal's Yard Dairy have been unbound.
our work with this cheese
Accompaniments
Serving Suggestions
Melt on top of buttered crumpets as an alternative to cheese on toast.FAQs
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Hafod
A Welsh-made Cheddar cheese with rich, layered flavours and a supple texture, Hafod is generally found to be less acidic than our other Cheddars


Hafod is made on a Welsh dairy farm where almost all of the cows' feed and bedding is produced on the farm's land.
milk type
Cow
ingredients
MILK, salt, rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw or Pasteurised
location
Ceredigion, Wales
milk source
Own herd
breed
Ayrshire
season
All year
average age
10-18 Months
background
Situated near the coast in west Wales, Bwlchwernen Fawr has been home to the Holden family since the early 1970s. A leading figure in the Soil Association and more recently the Sustainable Food Trust, Patrick Holden's influence on British farming has been considerable, but it wasn't until his son Sam returned to Bwlchwernen Fawr in 2007 that they began making cheese on the farm. Hafod is Welsh for 'summer place' or 'pasture', and it's on such pasture – up the hill from the river Aeron – that the Holdens' 65-strong herd of Ayrshire cows graze when they're not sheltering for winter.
Almost 100 per cent of the herd's diet is grown on the farm's land, as is the straw for the indoor bedding: for the past four decades the family have been working toward a system where the farm is wholly self-sustaining. Although Hafod is made according to methods described in the classic 1917 manual Practical Cheddar Cheese-making, the Holdens and their head cheesemaker Tess continue to refine the make according to feedback and research. For example, a trial in 2019 revealed that no-cloth cheeses were firmer and breaking down more slowly than the clothed cheeses. Since then, all the cheeses selected for sale by Neal's Yard Dairy have been unbound.
our work with this cheese
We visit Holden Farm Dairy three times a year, and our visits are different to our other Cheddar selections. On each trip we will take in a cheese make and taste six months' worth of batches³ over two days. In order to help guide Tess in the evolution of her methods, we taste the cheese twice: first between three and six months, to gain an insight into the results of her experimentation, and then again between six and nine months to make our selection.
pairing suggestion
Melt on top of buttered crumpets as an alternative to cheese on toast.