Acorn Dairy, which has herds in the Durham Dales and North Yorkshire, has partnered with Thirsk cheesemaker Shepherds Purse .
The two family-run businesses have joined forces to produce a new organic blue cheese, with Acorn’s cows providing the milk. It is the culmination of 12 months development using the Darlington dairy’s Soil Association milk from cows grazing on chemical free pastures.
Acorn is run by the Tweddle family who have been farming at Archdeacon Newton, near Darlington for four generations. In the late 1990s, the family converted all 360 acres of its farm to Soil Association organic status.
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The diary now sells organic milk, butter, eggs and cream via doorstep deliveries locally and across the UK through a network including Riverford, Organic Pantry and Waitrose.
Shepherds Purse was set up by Judy Bell MBE in the 1980s and is now run by her two daughters Caroline Bell and Katie Matten. Its 11 cow, sheep and buffalo cheeses -including its award-winning Harrogate Blue – are available in UK supermarkets, farm shops, cheese shops and delicatessens. The new Organic Yorkshire Blue, which has now hit the market, is matured over eight weeks with individual cheeses being hand turned on a weekly basis.
Caroline Bell, operations manager at Acorn Organic Dairy, said: “Our own sustainability story has been a long one and recently commended with the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development. Eating organically is more relevant and welcome than ever before, as we all try to reduce our impact and choose foods whose production builds biodiversity as well as environmental and human health… and if it happens to come in delicious cheese form, even better.”
Caroline Bell, joint managing director of Shepherds Purse Cheese, said: “Producing our first organic cheese allows us to demonstrate not only our commitment to quality artisan cheesemaking but also to environmental stewardship and sustainable farming which mirrors the ethos of our friends at Acorn Dairy. Our family-run business has always had a health focus, ever since our mum, Judy Bell, founded Shepherds Purse 35 years ago on a mission to make a quality sheep’s milk cheese to help those who were affected by dairy intolerances.
“It is special to be launching this cheese in our 35 th year, making Yorkshire Blue available to those who are choosing organic for many reasons including for health and sustainability.”
