Wensleydale Blog

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of Wensleydale Creamery, the only real makers of Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese in the world.

The launch of the blog coincides with the creamery’s decision to make a submission for Protected Designation of Origin for what we think is one of the best territorial cheeses in the world - namely Real Yorkshire Wensleydale.

The creamery is situated in the market town of Hawes in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and employs more than 190 people. Wensleydale Creamery enjoys global acclaim for its award-winning cheese and the Creamery continues to apply the traditional methods of hand crafting cheese using recipes that go back centuries.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) aims to promote and protect food products in the EU and is used to describe foodstuffs which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognised know-how. This means that any manufacturers outside of Wensleydale cannot produce a cheese and call it Real Yorkshire Wensleydale.

We hope you enjoy our regular posts and welcome all comments and support.

History & Heritage

Wensleydale Cheese has been made in Wensleydale since 1150, when the Cistercian monks first settled in the dale, and established a monastery at Fors, just four miles from Hawes.

The art of cheese making which the monks perfected was passed down to local farmers who continued to produce the cheese in their own farmhouses. In 1897 a local corn and provisions merchant from Hawes began to purchase milk from local farms and use it for the larger scale manufacture of Wensleydale cheese.

The industrial depression of the 1930’s made trading conditions difficult, leaving the creamery in significant debt to farmers and the dairy facing closure. Despite being offered contracts to supply dales milk to a national dairy further afield, the farmers were adamant that the Hawes dairy should continue.

In 1935 local businessman and character Kit Calvert rallied enough local support to rescue the only dairy producing cheese in the heart of Wensleydale. Kit Calvert raised adequate capital to secure the future of the Hawes Creamery.

Kit Calvert sold the established Creamery to the Milk Marketing Board in 1966 and in 1979 the title passed to Dairy Crest. In 1992 the creamery was closed with the loss of 59 jobs. That same year, following many offers to rescue the Creamery a management buy out took place, and with the skilled help of eleven members of the former workforce, cheese making recommenced. In 1994 the visitor centre was opened incorporating a viewing gallery, giving people the opportunity to Share the Goodness of Wensleydale.