"Observe Cheddar’s last remaining cheesemakers as they go about their work and learn the tricks of their trade.
It’s one of Britain’s best-loved cheeses, but did you know that Cheddar was originally a way to use up excess milk before it soured? In the area surrounding the village of Cheddar they’ve been making the yellow stuff since the 15th Century.
The Cheddar Cheese Company is a working dairy that has kept the process going using the same traditional methods, with milk from the local Cheddar cows, no less.
Want to see how it’s done? Take the tour up to the viewing gallery and watch the cheesemakers in action: the process takes eight hours, but you can just drop in for a quick taster before buying some Cheddar to “gorge” yourself on later."
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"a small Visitor Centre in Cheddar where you can watch us make, mature and pack our cheese. Child friendly, with lots of information and illustrations on the walls, we run a 20 minute long film which summarises the daily make process should you prefer not to stay for the 7 hours real time experience!
The admission charge per adult to the cheese making area is £2.00, which includes two children (under 16) for free.
We encourage everyone to come - including school children, students, tourists or just the inquisitive! For the small entrance fee you can stay all day if you wish, or you may prefer to return throughout the day to watch the different stages of cheese making. The whole process takes about 7 hours, so you could combine your visit with a general mooch around The Gorge and/or Cheddar Caves perhaps? There are lots of cafes, ice cream sellers and restaurants nearby as well as independent shops and curiosities. The local walks are breathtaking too.
We produce our cheese by hand, in open vats using traditional methods. Watch our talented cheese makers transform a vat-full of local milk into a traditional, cloth-bound cylinder of cheese every day. Artisan cheddar cheese making is fascinating to watch, and where better than within the village of Cheddar - the birthplace of cheddar cheese.
Once you have watched the cheese being made, do wander into our shop to taste it. We have a wide range for you to try, from the young 'Mellow' cheddar, more senior 'Mature' and of course the venerable 'Vintage' - depending how strong you like your cheese! The complex 'Cave Matured' is available to try too - this is a truly exceptional cheddar cheese which we mature in the nearby natural Cheddar Caves, thanks to the generosity and encouragement of Lord Bath and The Longleat Estate who own the Caves.
We welcome group bookings too; do give us a call and we can arrange a date to suit you. One of our guides will accompany your party to provide more information and answers any questions you may have.
Apart from cheese our shop is well stocked with cheese accompaniments such as pickles, chutney, cheese boards and knives as well as hand made pottery cheese plates. We sell a range of cheese related gifts and, of course, our award winning cheese straws.
During November and December there is some limited access to our visitor centre, so please do contact us to discuss your requirements in advance. "
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"The family owned Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company is an independent small artisan cheddar cheese maker, the only producers of cheddar within the Village of Cheddar, Somerset - the birthplace of cheddar cheese. The company had been making traditional cheddar cheese here for many years, however, between 2000 and 2003 it suffered a decline and was very close to going out of business.
On August 13th 2003 John and Katherine Spencer took over the assets of the old Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company determined to restore the only cheddar made in Cheddar to its proper place. In order to achieve this they decided the only route was to make a Cheddar that truly reflected its heritage and authenticity. To this end only unpasteurised milk is used which is drawn from one local farm. The true nature of the Cheddar pastures are thus reflected in the cheese as was the case many centuries ago when Cheddar was first made in the area.
John and Katherine brought between them 80 years experience in the cheese and dairy industry; they even met over a Brie de Meaux! (John was supplying Brie to the Company Katherine worked for at the time). John has 36 years experience of setting up and running his own businesses; his strength is identifying gaps in the market, rolling up his sleeves and getting on with filling it. His expertise is developing markets according to demand. Katherine’s obsession is quality assurance (in everything!), she manages all technical issues, having worked previously for some of the biggest names in UK cheese making.
The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company combines high standards of traditional cheese production within a transparent production site, in the heart of Cheddar Gorge. Visitors are welcome to watch them make, cut and pack their cheese, learn more about cheese making in general where they offer a huge range of cheddars, plus other guest British cheeses for visitors to taste in their child- friendly, fully accessible retail shop, which is situated next to the Dairy. The shop in Cheddar is spacious and well stocked with beautiful cheese-related products and efficiently managed by friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Few people hand-make cheddar these days and The Company are doing their utmost to preserve and protect this dying practise. In the years since John & Katherine took over the Company, they have researched, experimented, tweaked and twiddled with the recipe, and are proud to have a superb team of staff who produce, mature, select, cut, pack and sell excellent quality, award winning, traditional cheddar cheese today. The result of which is quite different from the ‘everyday’ cheddar cheese we are all used to. "We can't compete on price with the large producers of block cheddar cheese, but we can compete on taste".
"We believe there is a market for both types of cheddar; and encourage you to try ours to compare".
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