West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers

Happy cows and the maritime climate of the Dorset coast contribute to the creation of Denhay's delicious authentic Farmhouse Cheddar.

We’ve been making award-winning West Country farmhouse Cheddar at Denhay Farm since 1959, using traditional skills and techniques employed in the Marshwood Vale and the West Country for generations. We have five herds of Friesian cows and only their milk is used for Denhay Cheddar making. Bill, our head cheese maker, who has been at Denhay for over 30 years, leads a team of seven who are committed to producing a really good consistent cheese. This commitment to quality and consistency has resulted in Denhay Cheddar winning top cheese awards for many years.

We make traditional 27kg rounded truckles, 20kg blocks and our unique 2kg ‘mini-traditionals’, known as Dorset Drums. We only use our own milk, hand-make our Cheddar on the farm and then mature each cheese for around a year. This attention to detail and use of traditional skills contribute to Denhay Cheddar’s distinctive, nutty, mellow flavour.

Besides our Cheddar, we produce ‘Denhay Dry Cured Bacon’ which is renowned as bacon that tastes like bacon used to taste. It’s produced using a combination of traditional dry curing methods and our own unique techniques to ensure quality and consistency. We use the best quality pork middles from outdoor reared British pigs.

At Denhay we are passionate about the quality of our products. This passion extends to the preservation and welfare of the countryside and to the animals in our care.

George Streatfeild