Cheddar has been made at Westcombe Farm since the late 19th century. After dabbling briefly in the manufacture of block Cheddar in the 1970s, Richard Calver decided in 1999 to return to producing clothbound cheese. When Richard's son Tom joined the business, he brought with him a chef's training and experience of working in Neal's Yard Dairy. Tom set about examining every aspect of its process, from the quality of the milk to building a new maturing cave. This project commenced in 2014 and uses technology from France and includes the UK's first cheese-turning robot named Tina.
There was no precedent for using cheese-turning robots on clothbound cheese, so the Calvers took a leap of faith to commission the project.At the same time, Richard, together with herdsman Nicholas Millard, continue to work on improving the herd and diversifying the output of the farm. They have started an agroforestry project, and are home to a new grain mill that will supply Landrace Bakery and hosts a charcuterie business led by Paul Burton.
