Yelvertoft food guru meets businessman to learn about his award-winning cheese

Yelvertoft food guru Milly Fyfe got a taste of the inner workings of an award-winning cheese maker’s enterprise when she visited his business.

She met Daventry cheese maker Gary Bradshaw to explore the soft blue cheese he is responsible for producing.

A chance table guest at the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards brought the two together.

Gary got into cheesemaking by accident.

He watched someone make cheese on television and thought he’d have a go himself.

Milly said: “He bought some ingredients and had a go at making his own cheese at home. That was how his

cheese making operation began.

“Fast forward ten years and the cheese Gary makes is proving popular, with every variation receiving recognition at the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.”

Sourcing raw Jersey milk from Barn Owl Jerseys, based near Brackley, keeps the food miles low and supports a fellow Northamptonshire business.

Seasonality in the milk due to the availability of grass throughout the year, means that the flavour profile of the cheese changes due to the fat content; it makes a truly artisan product.

Milly went on: "You may have heard of the different blue cheeses that are made by Gary, all of which give a

nod to Northamptonshire’s heritage and puts the county town on the map; Cobblers Nibble, Northamptonshire Blue, Shoe Town and Daventry Blue. All have a slightly different texture, taste maturation and appearance.”

Milly, who writes the Countryside Kitchen column for this paper, said her favourite was spreadable Shoe Town. She added: “It would lift any crusty bread or pasta dish.

“Despite having a factory fire at his unit 12 months ago which ruined his Christmas orders, Gary’s business is flying, with new flavoured cheeses about to launch and supplying local businesses which include St Giles Cheese Shop, Whittlebury Hall and The Sheaf in West Haddon.

“And I mustn’t forget to mention that Gary and his team run the Hamm Tun Fine Foods

delicatessen in Long Buckby where anyone can go and purchase some of the locally

produced cheese.”

Find out more at https://hammtunfinefoods.co.uk/