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Mrs Ruth Kirkham began making Lancashire Cheese as Beesley Farm over 30
years ago. This was a skill she had been taught by her own mother, making
her the third generation of cheese maker in her family.
In the early days
Ruth and husband John started the day with the first milking of their herd
of 40 Holstein Friesian cows. The milk was pumped straight into a small vat
in their little dairy next door. This was then turned into cheese. They had
only two presses and would make four 20kg cheeses a day. These were waxed and
sold monthly to a wholesaler.
After the demise of Mrs Kirkhams's
original wholesaler in the mid eighties, she started to supply customers directly.
These included the now famous Neal's Yard Dairy in London, who are still on of
Mrs Kirkhams's main wholesalers. They have done a lot over the years to help
promote the cheese and more recently, ship it to as far as America.
Around this time, Ruth also changed the finished coating of her cheeses from
wax to cloth bound and then buttered them. This helped the cheese mature better
and to keep the flavour and texture.
In 1993, Ruth and John's son Graham
joined the family business. He took the cheese out directly to the public when the
farmer's markets and speciality food events launched around 10 years ago. This helped
promote the cheese and develop sales. Recognition has also been helped by the
very popular food programmes which have featured the cheese on many occasions
over the years.
Hard work and persistence for quality has enabled the
Kirkhams in the last 3 years to build a new state of the art milking parlour which
has made John's life easier. Five star accommodation for the now 100 strong herd of
cows and a new cheese making dairy which was completed in May 2008.
"Hopefully, all this investment will keep us producing a high quality product
for the next 30 years." says Graham.
Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese can now be
found in most good deli' counters around the country or on the menu in your favourite
restaurant, but despite it's success, it is still very much a family business. Apart
from two full time members of staff, John Kirkham still milks the cows every day, while
Ruth and son Graham still make the cheese between them, seven days a week. |
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