The Interview: Jason Hinds, Neal’s Yard Dairy

MAKING IT WORK
What most excites me right now is working with liquid milk farmers who are producing excellent milk and are keen to transform it into cheese, to help them maintain their livelihoods. Not too long ago it was inconceivable that a British raw milk farmhouse cheese would be gracing supermarket shelves, but now the industry is a widespread success.

If we want to continue this good work we have to secure the future of quality milk. The commodity milk market isn’t going to step up to do this, so we have to motivate quality dairy milk farmers and develop a demand for farmhouse cheese in Britain. That’s one of the reasons I get out of bed every morning – to work with our colleagues and allies in the industry to keep the quality cheese market evolving and growing.

The arrival of dynamic, dedicated cheese shops who are passionate about selling amazing British cheese is also fantastically exciting. They’re telling the story of the cheeses they stock with aplomb, and their role in the cycle is vital because if you don’t have these communicators then the livelihoods of the dairy farmers and cheesemakers who are focusing all their efforts on the pursuit of quality are at risk. These cheesemongers are often young people, which was unthinkable even 10 years ago let alone 20 or 30 years ago when I came into the industry.

THE NEXT GENERATION…
What’s very encouraging is that when I was young, very few people considered going into the food industry a positive thing – most saw it as a dead-end job, as you’d most probably be working in a factory or in a supermarket. Today you might be working on a farm, or in a specialist cheesemaking operation, or raising interesting cattle for beef. It’s great that young people see that food is a viable and enjoyable career path.

THE FUTURE…
I’ve always felt born to sell great British cheese, and I don’t have any plans to do anything different with my life. Neal’s Yard Dairy is relocating to slightly larger premises in Bermondsey – we’re taking on some local railway arches – so I’m focused on that at the moment, but as long as I’m fit and able, and as passionate about it as I am now, I can’t see myself doing anything else. Maybe when the last of my four children has grown up I may dedicate my life to travelling the world, but I’m lucky enough to already travel a lot through my work – to America and Australia, France, Italy and Spain and wherever else I’m needed. Perhaps one day as the business grows my role will evolve into one which will allow me to be involved still, but also spend more time travelling – ideally in the southern hemisphere during the UK’s cold season!

Read the full interview in the latest issue of Speciality Food, free to download here.