Wales’s already thriving cheese sector has been given another boost after one of England’s most respected goats’ cheesemakers moved its business to Carmarthenshire.
Norton & Yarrow, which is well known for the lactic goat’s cheeses Sinodun Hill and Brightwell Ash, moved operations from Oxfordshire to a 120-acre farm in Carmarthenshire at the end of January, and plans to expand its herd of Anglo-Nubian goats and develop new hard cheeses.
The company, which was set up by Rachel Yarrow and Fraser Norton in 2014, had outgrown its previous premises at the Earth Trust farm near Abingdon, which did not have sufficient grazing pasture. The much bigger Welsh farm, which was previously used for sheep, will allow the business to grow heritage feed crops and provide enough pasture to increase the herd to around 350 animals. The farm, called Pen Crug (‘top of the hill’ in Welsh), is located in the Brecon Beacons national park near the village of Llangadog.
“We wanted to move to a lower input system, but there just wasn’t the space at our previous home,” explained Norton. “Our new farm will allow us to become pasture-fed as much as possible and grow our own high-quality fodder. We’re considering becoming accredited organic. Agri-ecology seems a more sensible, sustainable way to farm. With greater diversity of plant species comes more diversity in terms of insects, birds and other wildlife.”
The relocation is more good news for Welsh cheese, which has seen a renaissance in recent years with several new producers starting up, including goat’s cheesemaker Wacky Wedge near Snowdonia, Caws Penhelyg near Aberystwyth, Anglesey-based Caws Rhyd y Delyn and Ffynnon Wen in Llandeilo.
There is also an increasingly strong indie cheese retail scene in Wales thanks to cheesemongers including Ty Caws, the Welsh Cheese Company, Blas ar Fwyd and Marches Delicatessen.
“Welsh cheese does seem really vibrant at the moment and we’ve already been making links with Welsh cheesemakers and organisations,” said Norton. “The Welsh Government provides good support through initiatives like Farming Connect, and its Food Centre, where we plan to pilot new hard cheeses to make the most of our summer milk and have more options at Christmas.”
Production will start at the new farm in February with cheeses available from March.
This article first appeared in the January-February 2025 issue of Fine Food Digest.
