Suffolk’s Artisan Cheese Producers (and Where to Find Them)
By Carl Scott
As a county renowned for its agriculture, it will likely come as no great surprise to discover that Suffolk is home to some of the tastiest farm made cheeses around. From traditional favourites to more unusual and unique offerings, we’ve put together a piece letting you in on the best places to sample and purchase cheese in suffolk.
Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses
Situated in the picturesque village of St Mary, Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses has earned a reputation for producing some truly mouth-watering handcrafted cheese. Made using traditional methods, their small-match flavours range from a Suffolk Blue to tangy Suffolk Gold. With ingredients sourced from nearby farms, their products offer a true taste of Suffolk that visitors are welcome to take home with them by visiting the dedicated dairy shop which is located onsite.
High House Farm Dairy
Fancy sampling some cheese during your stay in Suffolk and don’t fancy travelling too far to do it? High House Farm Dairy has you covered. Only a short drive from our Barns for rent, this farm has been producing artisanal cheeses for well over a century. In addition to properly knowing their stuff, the team here are committed to quality and source only the finest ingredients to produce their Wensleydale and Red Leicester. With guests welcome to sample and purchase the cheese onsite, we’d recommend any and all cheese lovers staying with us to make the short journey over.
St Jude Cheese
Located just outside the town of Southwold – a must visit town for beer lovers – St Jude Cheese is something of a micro-dairy that produces high quality and flavoursome cheeses available to purchase direct from their dairy shop. It would be remiss of us not to mention that their trademark cheese – the eponymous St Jude – is something that has to be sampled to be believed. This might sound like an exaggeration, but this soft and buttery cheese really is worthy of such grand language. Stocking gourmet treats as well as cheeses, their store is very much a one-stop-shop for anyone looking to pack up a picnic to enjoy in the Suffolk countryside.
Fen Farm Dairy
What would a list of cheese producers in Suffolk be without an award-winner featuring on it? Not a very good one, probably. With this in mind, we thought it was well worth mentioning Fen Farm Dairy. Though it’s slightly further away than other options on this list, it’s certainly worth the trip to sample their raw milk cheeses which have earned esteem in gastronomic circles. Made from the milk of their Montbeliarde cows, their Baron Bigod is particularly well-praised and offers a complex flavour that just about every food critic has raved about.
During the COVID lockdowns, the owner of Woodfarm Barns & Barges, Carl Scott, got to know the owners of Fen Farm as he delivered to them during his Deli Delivery Boy days, to keep him sane. Ish…
To sample any and all of these cheeses whilst taking a holiday in Suffolk, be sure to take a look at the current availability of our Barns and Barges for rent to ensure you have comfort and plenty of exciting features to look forward to on your return.
