Life is cheddar when working together

Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese - one of our Love Local💚 suppliers - first appeared in 1992 when brothers Simon and Tim, whose family have farmed at Ulceby Grange Farm on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, near Alford for over 100 years, started to sell their cheese in the local village shop. The cheese was so popular with customers that they had to be limited to just a quarter of a pound each to begin with - now of course they have a string of awards to their name and their cheese is a firm favourite with both customers and hospitality businesses across the UK 🧀

Simon and Tim's day starts at 5am, when fresh milk from their 280 cows begins arriving at their tiny creamery. Around 28 cheeses are made each day and then left for 18 months to let their tangy, sweet flavours develop. The result is somewhere between a hard continental cheese such as Comte and a West Country Cheddar.

Every batch is taste tested and each is different depending on everything from the weather to how the cow was feeling – usually stress free thanks to an automatic cow massager – according to Simon and Tim the happier the cow, the more delicious the cheese 🐄

Simon and Tim are proud to be local suppliers, who not only employ local people but also use local companies. The majority of their cheese is sold to businesses outside of the county but this means they are bringing a lot of money back into the local economy as a result. 

During the first half of this year, when the world came to a stop due to lockdown, Simon and Tim found themselves in the unusual and challenging position of suddenly not being able to sell any of their milk, cheese, or hand-made butter as the market for this just collapsed. 

To keep themselves afloat, they started working 7 days a week on a slower maturing cheese but had a difficult decision to make with their hand-made butter. This butter had already been made and destined for a number of restaurants and hotels around the UK - as soon as the country when into lockdown this could no longer be delivered to their clients who'd had to close suddenly and they were left with a large amount of stock that would be wasted if an alternative couldn't be found. 

Tim commented: 

"We approached Lincolnshire Co-op in a bit of desperation and without question, overnight, they said yes...they took a load of butter...they were saviors, knights in shining amour and are a hugely supportive business" 

Having worked alongside Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese for a number of years with our Love Local range, it was without question that we would help them in what has been the most difficult of years for any business. We were delighted to take extra orders from them, knowing that it would mean the local economy could keep going in unprecedented times. 

It's Love Local fortnight until the 4th October 2020 💚- why not pop into your nearest food store and check out all the tasty products we have on other in this range, including Poacher Cheese. Plus, members receive 10% dividend on all Love Local purchases until the 4th October 2020.