Visit to Cote Hill Cheese, Osgodby

It was a typically British wet day when we all met at Cote Hill Farm in Osgodby for a tour of the now well-known cheese producing business run by Mary and Michael Davenport. We were made very welcome by Michael and, after donning the obligatory blue plastic shoe covers and mop hat, we followed him into their ‘factory’.
Because of the layout of the buildings, Michael explained that we would be seeing the whole process in reverse order so our first viewing was of the cheese being French wrapped in waxed paper ready for distribution. As we followed Michael, his wife Mary, their son Joe and several others were soon visible through the large glass windows which allow a clear view of what is happening in the different rooms. The unpasteurised milk (so it retains its natural flora and enzymes) is filtered straight into the cheese vats where vegetarian rennet and a starter culture is added. Once stirred together, it is left to coagulate and the resultant curd is cut to release the whey. Mary was seen executing this then transferring the curds into containers where it was allowed to settle. As we moved through the building, we saw the set cheeses being washed in brine or waxed red or yellow then stacked on shelves where they are regularly turned. At two weeks old, the Cote Hill Blue are pierced by hand with a needle to allow air to get in and form the blue mould and after 8 weeks it is fully mature.

From the ‘factory’ we moved to the milking parlour which is Michael’s domain. Around 70ish mixed breed cows are milked here twice a day starting at 6:30am. About a third of the 500,000 litres or so of the milk produced annually or 800 litres a day, is used for cheese production with the rest collected by two major dairy companies. Needless to say, the cows were back out in the field by the time we got to the parlour but the process and equipment was carefully explained whilst the crew yard outside was being ‘mucked out’ by machinery.
Back in the assembly room, the kettle had boiled and the table was laid with plum bread, biscuits and plates containing a selection of cheeses for our delectation. Michael gave us a potted history of the business and Cote Hill Farm which has been home to the Davenport family since 1962. His father took on the tenancy and set up an accredited dairy herd which Michael eventually took over however, by 2004, low liquid milk prices forced them to ponder diversifying or giving up. Rather than throw in the ‘milking machine’, Michael decided to go on an artisan cheese making course, cascaded his knowledge to Mary and the business was born.
Realising there was a gap in the market for a soft blue cheese, they made their first batch in 2005; it was a nail biting time as they added the penicillium roquefort (the blue mould) and then waited a month for it to mature. Fortunately, all their hard work paid off, it turned out well and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Today the family is delighted to have no fewer than six varieties of cheese in its collection and some highly prized awards too; they also remain one of only a few farms producing a crusted soft and creamy blue cheese using unpasteurised milk. As an aside, there was cheese (and milk) available to purchase and enjoy later at home.
Well done and thank you to Sharon for organising such an interesting and most enjoyable visit and to the Davenports for the tour and their hospitality. I for one have learnt that making cheese is a complex and time-consuming business which demands close attention to detail so, congratulations to everyone at Cote Hill Farm for their hard work, vision and determination to succeed. Long may it continue. Nadia Dawson