Denhay has 1000 Friesian Holstein cows in 5 herds, selected for the high protein quality of their milk. In summer they go out to graze the grass in the fields. In winter when the ground is too wet and cold, they are kept indoors and fed on a diet of grass and maize silage, supplemented with cereals - mainly wheat and soya. While inside, every cow has a mattress on which to lie.

All the milk produced by the Denhay herds is used to make West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, and the cream, from the by-product whey, is used to make whey butter. Simon Hill is responsible for both the farming and cheese making so that he manages everything from breeding and feeding the cows to grading the cheese prior to selling it.

Bill, our head Cheesemaker, has been at Denhay for over 30 years and now leads a team of six people. Achieving consistent high-grade scores is in large part due to their skill, experience and attention to detail. In 2004, Bill won the Mendip Medal; an award given to the Farmhouse Cheesemaker achieving the highest percentage of top-grade cheddar in the previous year.

Every day, our milk is collected from each herd and taken to the Cheese House. Each morning the previous day's milk is pasteurised then poured into a large cheese vat. A starter culture is added which starts the cheese making process. The starter, or bacteria, turns the natural sugar in milk (lactose) to lactic acid in a fermentation process. The milk is stirred and slowly warmed and then vegetarian rennet is added which causes the milk to coagulate into a junket. Once set, this is cut and small solid particles of curd float in the liquid whey.

The whey is drained off and the resulting curd is transferred to long cooling trays. It is here that the curd settles and the cheesemakers cut, stack and repeatedly turn the curd by hand to ensure all the moisture is drained away. This is the famous process called "cheddaring" the curd, which is essential to establish the character of the cheese.

The springy curds are then milled and salted and are ready to be packed into either cylindrical moulds for traditional cheese truckles, or rectangular moulds for blocks. The cheeses are pressed to eliminate any further moisture.

After 24 hours, the cylinders are removed from their moulds, bathed in hot water and returned to the mould for a further 24 hours. They are then removed, covered in lard, a soft cloth is applied and then pressed again. After a final 24 hours the cheeses are labelled and taken to the store, where they are kept at a constant temperature and humidity to ensure even maturity. The cheeses are stacked on racks in the cheese store and monitored constantly.*

The block cheeses are pressed for 24 hours, then wrapped and placed in wooden slats for protection. They are labelled and taken to the store where they are stored on pallets and monitored constantly. The cheese will mature for at least 10 months before it is considered ready for sale.

A first independent grading will take place at 3 months to ascertain the quality of the cheese in terms of colour, texture, smell and taste.

Denhay Cheddar is carefully matured and monitored for a further 6 months and only then, after the final grading does the premium cheese achieve the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers label.


Traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddar
Block West Country Farmhouse Cheddar
The Dorset Drum Cheddar
Farmhouse Butter