Todd and Maugan Trethowan make their traditional award-winning Pitchfork Somerset Cheddar at their dairy, just 5 miles from the town of Cheddar. Every stage is done in the traditional method and by hand, even down to the tossing of the curds with pitchforks, giving the cheese its name.
How they got into making cheddar
Todd and Maugan Trethowan began making cheese on their Welsh farm more than 25 year ago. Determined to keep traditional cheesemaking methods alive, they produced their award-winning Gorwydd Caerphilly before moving to a new dairy in Somerset to continue their success. The decision in 2017 to start making cheddar, just 5 miles from the town of Cheddar, was too much for them to pass up and within 12 months, they had created their award-winning Pitchfork Cheddar.
They continue to make their cheeses with a focus on traditional methods, taking time and with an attention to detail that means the cheese is of a consistently high quality and an award winner around the world.
The challenges
Making cheddar is a long process, from the fresh milk gravity fed into the dairy, to the cheese being matured (our cheese is matured for up to 12 months). It’s the attention to detail and the absolute commitment to the process, with no corners cut that has resulted in Trethowan Brothers cheddar winning numerous awards and being recognized as some of the finest cheddar in the world. The changing seasons, the raw, unpasteurised milk from a single herd, local heritage starter cultures and a totally hands on process means that every batch of cheese is subtly different, but of the highest quality possible. It’s a process that we learn from on each make, and we share this knowledge with other cheesemakers, ensuring our traditional cheese heritage is being preserved for generations to come.
Products we offer
We make two cheeses. Our Gorwydd Caerphilly, handmade to a traditional recipe using unpasteurised (raw) milk. It’s a naturally rind-ripened cheese and is one of the last traditional Caerphilly cheeses, a classic British ‘territorial’. We also make our cloth-bound Pitchfork Cheddar, again using only unpasteurised milk and traditional methods, matured for up to 12 months.
Contact details:
Address: Trethowan’s Dairy, The Dairy, Cowslip Lane, Hewish, North Somerset BS24 6AH
info@trethowanbrothers.com
Tel: +44(0)1934 835984
www.trethowanbrothers.com
