Cheese News: The latest updates from Britain’s cheese and dairy scene

French ‘knighthood’ awarded to Academy of Cheese director

Tracey Colley, founding director of the Academy of Cheese – a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the art, science and appreciation of cheese – has been awarded the prestigious title of Chevalier in the Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the minister of agriculture and food sovereignty of France.

The title recognises Tracey’s efforts in championing cheese, supporting cheesemakers and nurturing future generations of cheese professionals during her 20-year career in the cheese industry and within her role at The Academy of Cheese. Throughout her career, Tracey has been a key figure in promoting and elevating the profile of cheese on an international stage.

Tracey is one of the first professionals in the cheese industry to receive the honour, which was established in 1883 to acknowledge individuals who have made an invaluable contribution to the agricultural sector.

Of the award, Tracey said, “The award is a fantastic accolade for the cheese industry, recognising the farms and animals producing great milk, the cheesemakers creating wonderful cheeses and to those promoting and selling them. I am determined to inspire and encourage new generations to understand and appreciate cheese. It is so important, not just as an ingredient, as it defines cultures, landscapes, health and happiness.”

Mary Quicke of Quicke’s Cheese, fellow director at The Academy of Cheese, said, “Tracey is a lifelong advocate of artisan cheese, having begun her career running Deli on the Square, a wonderful deli in Ludlow, championing all that is best in local and British cheese. She then took a senior role at distributor Harvey & Brockless before taking the leap to create the Academy of Cheese.  Its extraordinary success is hugely reliant on her untiring contribution; she is powerful, inspired, committed, dedicated and hardworking – a stand for great cheese and all the people who make that happen. Not only that, Tracey is a warm, loving and incredibly supportive person.”

Cornish Cheese Co makes sustainable investment

The Cornwall-based cheesemaker has invested in anaerobic digestion (AD) in a move towards greater sustainability and lessened dependency on the national grid. 

Anaerobic digestion captures the gases released by organic materials, such as cow manure, and converts it into energy. “While small UK herds are not the main contributors, every effort to capture methane and convert it to green energy is a win for the environment,” explained Ben Stansfield, head of sales and marketing at Cornish Cheese Co. “Capturing methane from manure not only prevents it from entering the atmosphere but also produces nutrient-rich manure that is easier and more economical for farmers to spread.”

Conventionally used by larger scale operations, anaerobic digestion was made possible for Cornish Cheese Co by partnering with BioFactory. BioFactory’s system filters the gases from cow manure and whey, and uses a motor to generate electricity while the naturally-generated heat warms water within the system.

“When we reached out to BioFactory and explored their system, we quickly saw its potential: a small AD plant on our farm could produce over 250,000 kWh annually. This energy, derived from hot water and electricity, would cover about 75% of our dairy’s current consumption. Our long-term goal is to supplement this with solar energy, pushing us closer to net-zero emissions.

“As the first cheesemaker in the UK to deploy a Micro AD Plant, we’re committed to sharing our journey openly. Our goal is to demonstrate to other small businesses that affordable, scalable, and sustainable solutions are within reach. By investing in green technology, we’re not only curbing operational costs but also contributing to a healthier planet – one step closer to a sustainable future for all.”

DalterFood Group reinforces its commitment to sustainability

The Italy-based business dedicated to the production, cutting and packaging of portioned and grated cheeses has released its third Sustainability Report, reinforcing its commitment to becoming a benchmark for sustainability in its sector. 

In the report, the Group’s comprehensive approach towards sustainability – including economic, environmental, ethical and social aspects – are highlighted. 

A focus on sustainability is a key part of DalterGroup’s operations, which was reaffirmed in the business’s Code of Ethics which reinforces the company’s characteristics of honesty, transparency and fairness and by having received the EcoVadis Bronze Medal for sustainability in 2023.

Andrea Guidi, GM of the Group, said, “The continuation of the war in Ukraine, with its repercussions on raw materials costs, the outbreak of turmoil in the Middle East, and climate change, which, with episodes of drought alternating with heavy flooding, is increasingly impacting our peninsula, have been a difficult context in which to operate for all production realities in Italy and beyond. It is precisely these difficulties that have driven us – yesterday as today – to be increasingly proactive in making our business economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, with projects that enable us to make products that are good for our customers, but also for the society and the region of which we are a part. Thanks to the Group’s determination, we have achieved positive results in economic terms (+8% turnover), social terms (+87% training hours provided) and environmental terms.”

Find full details of the report here.

‘We are all nature’

James Grant of No 2 Pound Street gives his monthly take on the British cheese industry

It is February and given the global farming crisis we may only have 60 years before the world’s soil dies. Pretty bleak reading this, right? You may be wondering what my topic is this month. Well, my Speciality Food friends, this month’s column is about our land, cheese choices and how your purchasing can affect the world we live in.

Last month was my second time attending the Oxford Real Farming Conference, held every January. A gathering of real farmers from all over the world, including media, professors, doctors, scientists, land lovers and cheesemakers. It is the annual time to check in and see how humanity is working to protect the planet. 

Agriculture is the most destructive human activity on earth – can we feed the world without destroying it? Just a handful of healthy soil contains more microorganisms than people on the planet. 70% of the world’s soil is now lifeless. With only 30% of healthy soil left, if we continue to farm aggressively within 60 years there will be nothing left to feed us. Ten thousand years ago we started to till the soil. This was the beginning of our destructive relationship with soil life. By tilling and ploughing it turns soil carbon into carbon monoxide.

After World War II there was an excess of bomb-making material that was turned into fertiliser and an excess of nerve gas which was turned into pesticides. So, the military industrial complex moved into the agricultural industrial complex. This forced our current agricultural model into chemical dependency. As Vandana Shiva, renowned environmental activist says, industrial agriculture is a war against the earth with chemicals actively killing the soil. This has given us the epidemics of cancer and allergies because of a toxic imbalanced diet. We reflect the environment we live in. So, I would like you to consider your purchases carefully. Large industrial production needs to be a thing of the past. Monocrop farming must change. We need to embrace organic, regenerative farming. The soil should be full of life. We need to localise our food choices.

Buy your cheese from truly sustainable and ethical cheesemakers. Ask as many questions as you can, about the cows, what they eat, where they live, are there any health issues. As a specialist you have every right to understand how your cheese is produced.

This year I will be working more closely with farmers and cheesemakers that have adopted a regenerative approach to making cheese. They value their land, and they help to put back the energy they use to feed us.

Currently there are only a few organic cheesemakers in the UK in my opinion, and I am sure, with your help, this will change soon. Look for the cheese Hafod from Holden Farm. Also, Feltham’s Farm in Somerset produce delicious organic cheese – try their Lucky Marcel, also a super gold winner at the World Cheese Awards. Near me in Oxfordshire is Nettlebed Creamery. The selection of organic cheese here is sublime and do try the delicious Witheridge that is aged in hay. We also must mention High Weald Dairy – their organic Seven Sisters is delicious. Another famous organic producer is Daylesford Organic – the selection there is extensive and very yummy.

Look up regenerative cheesemakers that are working hard with nature with extensive research programmes. Recently I joined Pasture for Life. This is a thriving organisation championing the virtue of pasture-fed ruminants and their meat and dairy products. Do look up these brilliant people and find out what they are doing to help bring us back to nature.

So, there you have it, we need to gain the will of the people. For too long we have been bullied into buying cheese that is made through mega industry that only harms the fabric of our world, invertebrates, animals, fungal networks. oceans and air. As shopkeepers and business owners think seriously about making the change – work with nature – we are all nature.