milk type
Cow
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Pasteurised
location
Evercreech, Somerset
milk source
Own herd; Bought-in
breed
Holstein; Dairy Shorthorn
season
All year
average age
2-3 Months
cheesemakers
Rob Howard; The Calver Family
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Though widely regarded as a classic Welsh cheese, Cheddar makers in Somerset have been making Caerphilly since the late 19th century as a means of generating some short-term cash while their slow-ageing traditional Cheddars matured.
background
our work with this cheese
We visit Westcombe Dairy six times a year to taste and select Duckett's Caerphilly.Accompaniments
Serving Suggestions
Melt down with a hit of strong mustard for a delicious Welsh rarebit topping. Spoon over smoked haddock fillets and bake until bubbling and golden.Recipes
Kentish Apple Pie
This traditional pie was apparently a favourite of Charles Dickens. The tang of the cheese lifts the sweet and lightly spiced apples into new realms of pudding heaven.FAQs
How much cheese to buy?
How should I store my cheese?

Duckett's Caerphilly
A thin, earthy rind with notes of fresh grass and raw mushroom gives way to a creamy then crumbly curd, with a clean, fresh flavour and a pleasantly mineral tang


Though widely regarded as a classic Welsh cheese, Cheddar makers in Somerset have been making Caerphilly since the late 19th century as a means of generating some short-term cash while their slow-ageing traditional Cheddars matured.
milk type
Cow
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Pasteurised
location
Evercreech, Somerset
milk source
Own herd; Bought-in
breed
Holstein; Dairy Shorthorn
season
All year
average age
2-3 Months
cheesemakers
Rob Howard; The Calver Family
background
Duckett's Caerphilly is produced at Westcombe Dairy in Somerset using the same fresh, unpasteurised milk used to make the acclaimed Westcombe Cheddar. It is named after Chris Duckett, who moved his cheesemaking operations to Westcombe in the late 1990s when his deteriorating health forced him to give up farming. The Ducketts' original farm was based in nearby Wedmore, where the family had been making their Caerphilly since the 1920s. When a few years later Chris retired from cheesemaking, the team at Westcombe resolved to keep the tradition alive by adopting both his recipe and his original tank. They continue to use the brine from this tank to salt the cheese – it's around 20 years old and carries a microbial community that is unique to the rind of Duckett's Caerphilly – and even went so far as to divert a spring through one of their cellars to create the perfect temperature and humidity for a dedicated Caerphilly ageing room.
our work with this cheese
We visit Westcombe Dairy six times a year to taste and select Duckett's Caerphilly.
pairing suggestion
Melt down with a hit of strong mustard for a delicious Welsh rarebit topping. Spoon over smoked haddock fillets and bake until bubbling and golden.