Modern Cheesemaking Excellence Steeped in Tradition
Based on the site of the original rural dairy in Lancashire, fourth-generation cheesemakers Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses use traditional farmhouse recipes to make cheese perfect for the modern palate.
Established in 1932 by Richard and Annie, great-grandsons Matthew and Daniel are now taking the helm with the same genuine passion and thirst for discovery. Specialists in handcrafted cheeses with quality and provenance at their core, Butlers produce more than a dozen varieties of cheese across three categories – Blue, Soft and Hard.
Beaming in the cheese aisle is Butlers’ most innovative product, their famous Blacksticks Blue, a contemporary farmhouse blue cheese. A surprisingly creamy cheese with enough gentle bite from the blue to tingle your taste buds. Truly unique in the cheese world, Blacksticks is the perfect example of Butlers’ well-honed skill and unbridled passion for excellence in cheesemaking. This hero of the modern cheeseboard is an eye-catching cheese that backs up its visual impact with amazing versatility – try it in a toastie, stirred through pasta, melted over steak, crumbled into a salad or melted as part of a sophisticated fondue.
Butlers recently launched Button Mill, a small batch cheese known for its one-of-a-kind delicious rind and delicate flavours. The wider portfolio also includes Mrs Butler’s traditional Lancashire Cheese, which they’ve been making since day one. Their signature goat’s cheese, the outstanding log-shaped Kidderton Ash, is coated in a fine layer of charcoal ash as it matures and develops its fuzzy white rind.
Peter Morrell, Editor comments “I have recently tried both the unique Blacksticks Blue and the new Button Mill cheeses and they are both delicious. The Blacksticks is packed with flavour, has a lively character and a very creamy mouthfeel. The Button Mill has a subtle taste that dances on the palate and has an exquisite soft centre. These two are a must for any Christmas cheeseboard, they are high quality and are excellent examples of great British Cheeses.”
Butlers were also major winners at the recent British Cheese Awards, achieving their best ever results and receiving a medal for every variety of their Farmhouse cheese. Winning 14 awards across their Blues, Softs and Hard cheeses, Butlers were the proud recipients of 6 Gold awards, including for Kidderton Ash.
Provenance is also extremely important to Butlers – they know exactly where their milk comes from, mostly from just over the road! All the milk comes from within a 10 mile radius of the dairy and is mainly sourced from members of the family who have farmed the Lancashire countryside for over 100 years. Using this local milk and by handmaking cheese in small batches, Butlers are keeping quality at the heart of their business, and although they have expanded since the family began their cheesemaking venture, the old ways of doing things are still held close to their hearts. That’s not to say Butlers aren’t looking to the future, as much of their love of cheesemaking is exploring new ways to make cheese.
Expertly blending innovation and heritage, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses are a benchmark of excellence within UK cheesemaking. With Matthew and Daniel looking to the future, its an exciting time for the brand, with several new NPD launches expected later this year, including specialist Christmas products that will elevate cheese’s role in the festivities higher than ever. Enjoying non-stop growth for over 85 years, Butlers are a cheese brand to be reckoned with as they lead the British cheese renaissance into a new era.
- Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses are based at Wilson Fields Farm, Inglewhite, Preston, PR3 2LH
- Founded in 1932
- Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses can be found in Booths, Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and independents across the UK.
- The Farmhouse Lancashire range includes: Crumbly Lancashire, Mrs Butler’s Traditional Lancashire Cheese & Trotter Hill
- The Blue Cheese Range includes: Blacksticks Blue, Beacon Blue and Stratford Blue
- The Soft Cheese range includes: Button Mill, Ravens Oak, Kidderton Ash and Burland Bloom
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