After nearly 50 years of cheesemaking, Carolyn Fairbairn has finally hung up her apron at Thornby Moor Dairy in Cumbria.
The 82 year-old cheesemaker, who has retired to spend more time in her garden and with her family, first started making cheese with milk from her own goats in the basement of the family home in 1979. The business moved to its most recent premises on the old Crofton Hall Estate on the Solway Plain in 1994, where she was joined by her daughter Leonie (who had helped her mum throughout childhood).
Thornby Moor, which was a vocal advocate of raw milk cheese, made a range of different cheeses, including Blue Whinnow, and the brie-style Crofton and Cumberland Farmhouse, but was best known for Allerdale – a crumbly, clothbound goat’s cheese that won Super Gold at the 2023 World Cheese Awards.
Fairbairn continued to make cheese six days a week up until January, when she made her final batch, some of which is still available to buy, along with the dairy’s cheesemaking equipment.
Leonie Fairbairn, who is pondering her next career move, told FFD the decision to close was also influenced by factors including the need to refurbish the dairy, changing shopping habits, business costs and the economic climate.
“We chose to simply close in order to manage cost responsibly,” she said. “I hope to find the time and discipline to document our recipes for future generations to reference. I believe a cheese only becomes ‘established’ if it can be made by several people or dairies. We believe, very strongly, in the importance of simple, nutritious food. By definition it comes from an approach to farming and primary production that is caring and tolerant of its environment.”
This article first appeared in the September issue of Fine Food Digest.
