Brock Hall Farm Dairy

2nd October 2009

Artisan producer of goats cheese, Sarah Hampton, farms at Chelmarsh near Bridgnorth. We find out what it is like to be a cheese producer and whether goats cheese is overpoweringly 'goaty'...

Chelmarsh
07968 081691

We understand you have only been producing commercially for three weeks, how are you finding it so far, any surprises?

We're loving every minute of it: the cheeses are selling well and we have made so many converts to goats cheese. So many people presume goats cheese is going to be pungent, 'goaty' and overpowering. Our cheese on the other hand is light, fresh, delicate and lemony. Another surprise is that although our products are on the shelves in many farm shops and delicatessens in the region, it's at the tastings and food fairs where people actually learn who you are and what you do. It's not enough to have great-tasting cheese, you have to get out there, meet people and tell them all about it.


Can you tell us a bit about your farm and your goats?

We have a small herd of pedigree Pure Saanen goats. Pure Saanens are a special, rare breed of white dairy goats originating from Switzerland. We have the largest herd of them in the UK and we have been breeding them for ten years. All our goats have names and go out to graze our lush Shropshire pastures every day. This is unheard of in commercial goat herds; the vast majority of commercial goats stay in sheds all day, every day, and never feel the sunshine on their backs or nibble a blade of grass. Most commercial goats are also fed the same artificial diet of maize silage and concentrates all year round. Apart from not being nice for the goats; it's not natural. At the heart of everything we do at Brock Hall Farm are these factors: the highest possible animal welfare, together with the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene, from the goat barn to the milking room to the cheesemaking process. These factors make our business labour-intensive but they have a direct impact on the quality of the cheese. If the goats are clean, happy and have a natural diet, it shows in the quality of the cheese.


How many goats do you have and how much cheese does that make? And is production seasonal?

At the moment we have about 50 goats but not all of them are milkers yet. It depends on what cheese we are making as to the exact quantities we can produce, as the yield (milk-to-cheese ratio) for a hard cheese is substantially lower than that of soft cheese. Production at Brock Hall Farm is all year round and is not seasonal. We will be milking the goats on Christmas Day, like any other day! Whether I make cheese on that particular day is another matter!


Can you describe an average day on the goat farm?

Get up early, tend cheese in the dairy, do milking or if not milking that day, receive milk and start processing it immediately, tend more cheese, get on the phone to customers, Twitter a bit, make food for the family, tend or turn out that day's cheese and then finish cheesemaking duties at about 9pm. It's a very long day and when we go on holiday we really need it by then! Other than that, the year is punctuated by the same key activities: goats kid early Spring, bottlefeed new kids, wean new kids four months later, make hay, consider which males to use as stud, devise and implement breeding programme, dry off in-kid females prior to kidding and so on.


How long do you age the cheese?

Our Soft Fresh cheeses are aged only four days - this results in a clean, delicate soft cheese bursting with fresh flavours. The feta-type is aged only a week before being vacuum packed but will keep for months.


Where can we buy your cheese locally?

In the Shrewsbury area at the moment, stockists include Appleyards Delicatessen and Battlefield 1403. It is also used in a multitude of creations by Howard and Embarak at the Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury. Further afield, it's at the Ludlow Food Centre, Ludlow's Deli On The Square, Green Fields Farm Shop at Donnington, the Bridgnorth Deli and leading restaurants like The Boyne Arms in Burwarton where chef Jamie Yardley places great emphasis on using quality local products.


How should we eat your cheese, which other foods compliment it?

The Soft Fresh With Chives is superb on the cheeseboard as the first cheese your guests try as it is light and fresh yet the chives give it 'zing'. But our Soft Fresh lightly salted version is the most versatile of all - it's great as a snack on crispbread with smoked salmon and dill for example, or partners well with things like beetroot, traditional basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, caramelised red onion, aubergines and olives. It's great in a pastry tart with the 'partners' mentioned above or with pasta or as a ravioli stuffing or as a pizza topping, in place of mozarella. It has so many uses; it's down to your own imagination really!

Thank you Sarah. Best of luck with your new enterprise!