milk type
Cow
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Bungay, Suffolk
milk source
Own herd
breed
Montbeliarde; Holstein
season
All year
average age
2 Months
cheesemakers
Jonny Crickmore
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In the early days of Neal's Yard Dairy, the only Brie we sold was imported from across the Channel. Today, the only Brie we sell is Baron Bigod, and for the past few years French retailers have been buying this cheese from us.
background
our work with this cheese
Accompaniments
Serving Suggestions
Slice Baron Bigod over warm, roasted vegetables.FAQs
How much cheese to buy?
How should I store my cheese?

Baby Baron Bigod
The smaller sister to one of our most popular cheeses, perfect as a centrepiece to a cheeseboard


In the early days of Neal's Yard Dairy, the only Brie we sold was imported from across the Channel. Today, the only Brie we sell is Baron Bigod, and for the past few years French retailers have been buying this cheese from us.
milk type
Cow
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Bungay, Suffolk
milk source
Own herd
breed
Montbeliarde; Holstein
season
All year
average age
2 Months
cheesemakers
Jonny Crickmore
background
Baron Bigod was the creation of Jonny Crickmore at Fen Farm dairy. Made in small batches to a Brie de Meaux recipe passed on by a French cheesemaker, it is the only traditional Brie-style cheese currently being produced in the UK. In fact, it is arguably more authentic than the majority of French Brie in that it's made on a farm as opposed to a creamery, using the very freshest of raw milk from Jonny's own herd of Montbéliarde cows. The curds are hand ladled into large moulds using traditional pelle-à-brie ladles, and the young cheeses are salted, wrapped in paper and aged for up to eight weeks in cave-like conditions, first at Fen Farm, then at our Bermondsey arches.
our work with this cheese
We keep the cheeses in our cold room at the arches, and turn them regularly. The goal is to prevent the rind from growing too thick and to keep breakdown of the paste even – without over-ripening it to the point where it's running away. We've continued to work closely with Jonny and his team over the years, and every three months they visit us to taste the cheese and evaluate its progress. The conversations that result help to inform their selection for us back at their farm.
pairing suggestion
Slice Baron Bigod over warm, roasted vegetables.