Naturally Good Cheese

As a result of all this natural bounty, Devon is truly spoilt for choice when it comes to extraordinarily good cheese, and at Greendale Farm Shop we aim to stock as much of it as possible! While there are too many excellent Devon cheese producers to mention them all here, read on for a guide to some of our favourites.

Environmentally Sound in South Devon

Based in beautiful south Devon, close to the River Dart, the award-winning Sharpham Dairy can boast more than 40 years’ artisan cheese-making expertise (it’s also the first dairy anywhere in the UK to attain certified B-Corp status). Originally established by environmentalist Maurice Ash on land at his Sharpham Estate, the dairy has since moved to a new site (just over the hill) and is now owned and operated by Devon locals, the Parsons family. With a small team of expert cheesemakers and milk from its own herd of cows – plus sheep and goats’ milk from trusted local suppliers – Sharpham Dairy makes around 70 tonnes of cheese a year. Heavily garlanded with well-deserved national and international awards over the years, it’s difficult to pick a favourite from this producer, but the beautifully creamy Sharpham Brie is much-loved by our customers, and Sharpham Rustic tends to fly off the shelves as fast as we can stock it!

Award-Winning Artisans

Staying in South Devon (Ashprington, to be exact), Ticklemore Cheese is another dairy of note. Begun in the late 1970s by Robin Congdon – one of the first farmers in the UK to sell sheep milk commercially – the dairy shares a history with nearby Sharpham Dairy, in that it too had its origins in a partnership with Maurice Ash, of the Sharpham Estate. Over time, Ticklemore gained the land, staffing and milk resources required to produce several stand-out cheeses, including Beenleigh Blue, Harbourne Blue, Devon Rustic and Ticklemore Goat. In 2023, Ticklemore Cheese was sold to Ben and Laura Harris – having worked for the company since 2002, Ben is well placed to oversee its continued success. The recipes for Devon Rustic and Ticklemore Goat cheeses were passed to Sharpham Dairy, where they are still produced, and Ticklemore Dairy now focuses on producing three artisan blue cheeses, made with milk from local farms. Beenleigh Blue – in continuous production since the 1970s – is a fresh, lemony, sheep’s milk cheese, while Harbourne Blue is a goats’ milk cheese that remains ever-popular, thanks to its distinctive and delicious taste. For us, Ticklemore’s Devon Blue is an absolute must; a cow’s milk cheese with a rich, buttery taste and unique crumbly texture, this multi-award winner (including two Super Golds at the World Cheese Awards!) is pretty hard to beat.

Centuries of Expertise

Heading East to Newton St.Cyres, Quicke’s Dairy has centuries of farming and cheesemaking under its belt. Established in 1540, Quicke’s is still a family affair; Mary Quicke, who celebrated her 70th birthday this year, remains dedicated to farming, cheesemaking and championing sustainable food systems. Quicke’s Dairy is known for its rigour, care and attention to detail in everything it does, from its carefully managed grazing systems and high standards of animal welfare to its traditional cheese-making methods and meticulous grading of the finished product (Mary is present at every grading, and tastes each batch of Quicke’s cheese to ensure it is as excellent as the last). Unsurprisingly, Quicke’s Dairy continues to win awards at home and abroad, gaining recognition from Great Taste Awards, British Cheese Awards and the World Cheese Awards, to name just a few. At Greendale, Quicke’s cloth-bound Cheddar cheeses have remained best-sellers since we first began stocking them, years ago - we’d hazard a guess that Quicke’s Mature Cheddar has ‘ruined’ inferior Cheddar for a great many of our customers!

A Mid-Devon Marvel

Deep in the mid-Devon countryside, Curworthy Cheese has been made at Stockbeare Farm, close to Dartmoor, for the last thirty years. This small but wonderful dairy sources its milk from Dunstaple Farm in nearby Holsworthy, from a single dairy herd that grazes outside during the summer months; the cheese is made using traditional presses, and is matured in special temperature-controlled ripening rooms. A truly local enterprise, the Stockbeare team have recently developed goats’ cheeses using milk from a herd in South Molton, while their delicious Dartmoor Chilli Cheese (popular here at Greendale) is made with chillis from Dartmoor Chilli Farm in Ashburton. We especially like Curworthy Meldon, a semi-hard cheese with a delicious buttery taste – it’s made with real ale and wholegrain mustard, and is a cheeseboard non-negotiable as far as we’re concerned.

Perfect Partners

Unsurprisingly, Devon produces excellent accompaniments to go with all that wonderful cheese! At Greendale, we offer a great range of our own Greendale pickles and chutneys, from tangy Potting Shed Pickle (excellent with Cheddar) to classic Caramelised Onion Chutney and a Fig, Date & Ginger Chutney that pairs perfectly with blue cheese. We also stock a selection of chutneys, pickles and preserves from award-winning family business, Otter Vale, based in nearby Cullompton. When it comes to finding the perfect vehicle for your perfect cheese, opinions vary; we do like a slice of crisp Devon apple or a hunk of rustic bread (especially Ashburton-based Duck Bakery’s superb sourdough), but for more refined dining it’s hard to beat the crisp crunch of a cracker. For this, we look to the Fine Cheese Company - while they’re not actually a Devonshire business, Bath definitely qualifies as ‘West Country’, so we’re letting them off for the purposes of this guide! We stock a good selection of their unique range of specially-created crackers for cheese, including classic sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil, plus basil, chive, and walnut and honey varieties.

Images supplied by Quicke's Dairy