North Yorkshire is the heartland of English artisan cheese. Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes traces its roots to 12th century monastic cheesemaking and is the only producer of PGI-certified Yorkshire Wensleydale, sourcing milk from 45 local Dales farms and winning over 700 awards. Shepherds Purse in Thirsk has been making Yorkshire Blue, Harrogate Blue, and Mrs Bells Blue since the late 1980s, with Harrogate Blue once named in the top 15 cheeses in the world. Swaledale Cheese Company has handmade artisan cheese for over 30 years. Ribblesdale is a micro dairy specialising in goat milk cheeses. Laceys in Reeth produces handmade cheese and award-winning gelato with courses available.
When your local cheesemaker is under 10 miles away and the supermarket average for dairy is over 350 miles, the quality difference is clear. Browse the dairy and egg producers below to find what is near you.
