Devon Blue

Devon Blue is one of three cheeses made by Ben Harris and his team at Ticklemore Cheese Dairy in Totnes, Devon. Ben's cheesemaking predecessor, the British blue cheese pioneer Robin Congdon, initially created Beenleigh Blue, a sheep's milk cheese inspired by Roquefort, but wanted to supplement this with a cow's milk blue cheese which could be made all year round, including the times when sheep's milk was in short supply. The milk, which comes from a co-operative that gathers milk from several farms within a 10-mile radius, is sourced to fit in with the more seasonal production of the dairy's other cheeses.

Randolph Hodgson started Neal's Yard Dairy at around the same time as Robin Congdon started Ticklemore Cheese Dairy, and we've worked closely together from the beginning – first with Robin and then with Ben Harris when he became head cheesemaker in the early 2000s. We visit twice a year to taste and select cheese with Ben, and twice a year he comes to visit us at our Bermondsey arches. This dialogue is essential, as his cheeses are matured on the farm and delivered to Neal's Yard Dairy ready to sell.