Yoredale

Taste an Artisanal Wensleydale

Over the last few years, we have seen a small resurgence in artisan Wensleydale production and after much taste testing and research, we came across Curlew Dairy -  the makers of Yoredale. We were inspired by their passion, the tiny scale they work on and above all, the cracking cheeses that they make.

Yoredale has all the lemon, yogurt acidity you would expect from a Wensleydale, with mineral, earthy tones closer to the rind. Unlike crumbly Wensleydale, Curlew Dairy use a traditional slow recipe which gives the cheese a much softer, creamier texture. It has an open texture and melts exceedingly well on cheese on toast. 

Ben Spence and his wife Sam started cheese-making at Home Farm in 2019 - the first farm-produced Wensleydale since 1957. In 2021, Ben and Sam moved to their own micro-dairy 'Curlew Dairy' where their delicious cheese is now made. 

Over the past 12 months, Ben and Sam from Curlew Dairy have been working on their cheese, continuing to develop and experiment with the recipe. The cheese is now exclusively made with vegetarian rennet, and is simply bound in cloth, rather than being buttered, alongside a focus on the use of more traditional starter cultures. To reflect these changes they felt it only right to change the name of the cheese from Old Roan, to Yoredale. Yoredale was the original name for the valley of Wensleydale, a fitting tribute to their traditionally made Wensleydale cheese.

Ben and Sam use unpasteurised milk, so the cheese truly reflects the ‘terroir’ of the farm. The final flavour is determined by everything from the pastures on which the cows grazed, to the weather, the season, and even the bacteria in the soil. The cheese is clothbound and aged in our maturing room for 3-4 months.

Try Yoredale melted on sourdough toast with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or on our Fruit Cake for Cheese with a thick layer of butter!