Cheesemaker boost for Peterborough rural food and craft hub

Cheesemaker Alison Williamson, from Stamford, who launched Whyte Wytch earlier this year is to move in in the New Year - joining a micro-distillery, craft workshop, blacksmith and chocolatemaker.

After retiring from her role in IT, Alison started her career in dairy - making yogurt and cheese - before studying agriculture at university and becoming a dairy husbandry advisor for DEFRA. In her retirement, she has chosen to go back to her roots, creating an artisan cheese that is already tantalising tastebuds across the area.

The cheese takes six-weeks to mature and there are 100 rounds per batch. Alison hopes the first batch will be available from mid-February and she will be making a new batch every week. The project has been part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

She said: “The cheese making process is quite complex and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with visitors to Sacrewell.

“We think it will be the only artisan cheese currently made in Cambridgeshire, which is really exciting. The milk for the cheese is sourced from a farm in Bassingthorpe, so it’s a culmination of local and rural diversification.”

Alison will join Nene Valley Spirits, Stamford Heavenly Chocolates, Dave the Blacksmith, Nene Coppicing & Crafts and woodcarver Glyn Mould who already have premises within the Artisan Courtyard. The courtyard is open for visitors to come and browse without paying entry to the farm and gin and chocolate can be bought directly from the retailers on site.

Once it has matured, the cheese will be available from Sacrewell’s shop or online via Alison’s website.

A cross between a camembert and a brie, the white cheese can be eaten cold or heated in the oven and has a creamy, nutty texture without an overpowering flavour.

Alison added: “Once we have settled into the site, we are going to look at doing cheesemaking and tasting workshops which will compliment the workshops already available on site at Nene Valley Spirits, Stamford Heavenly Chocolates and Sacrewell’s own blacksmithing courses.”

Lee Scowen, General Manager at Sacrewell said: “We’re really excited to have Whyte Wytch opening at Sacrewell in the new year. With so many wonderful new start-ups and businesses already on site, the courtyard is fast becoming the rural food and craft hub that we envisioned it to be.”

For more information about Whyte Wytch visit www.whytewytch.com