SF-June-20

specialityfoodmagazine.com 25 Future of British cheesemakers at risk as Stilton sales drop 30% S ales of Britain’s first protected cheese have plunged during the UK’s lockdown, the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association says. Stilton cheesemakers are at risk of going out of business as sales plunge by 30%, an industry trade body has warned. The Stilton Cheese Maker’s Association said the closure of the hospitality and events industry as well as the closure of export markets following the outbreak of Covid-19 has hampered cheese producers and the dairy farmers that supply them. Dairy farmers have been hit particularly hard by the UK’s lockdown, with some forced to throw away perfectly goodmilk due to a lack of demand. The SCMA said the decline in Stilton sales is impacting 70 British dairy farms, some of which go back five generations. Stilton was the first British cheese to be awarded European protected designation of origin status, meaning cheese can only be labelled as Stilton if it is made in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire using traditional recipes. The SCMA, which fears that some producers will go out of business due to the drop in sales, urged consumers to support British dairy farmers. The group also warned that the current situation could discourage the next generation of cheesemakers. Businesses are now looking into alternative ways to sell their Stilton directly to customers. Robin Skailes, Chairman of the SCMA and director of Cropwell Bishop Creamery, said: “Like many British food producers, Stilton sales have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We hope that the British public will support us by buying Stilton instead of imported blue cheeses which, in turn, will support British dairy farmers.” A rtisan cheese company Shepherds Purse is working to support sheep milk producers through the coronavirus crisis with the launch of a new feta- style cheese called Fettle. After speaking to farmers at the start of the outbreak, the company learned that the sheep milk industry was being disproportionately affected by the closure of the hospitality industry. Over the course of just a few days, their farmers had lost 20 out of their 22 processors. Recognising the knock-on effects that this would have on the wider supply chain, Shepherds Purse has taken the bold step of supporting their farmers by increasing the amount of milk ordered weekly by 75%. As a result, the company brought forward the launch of its new format Fettle to 4th May. “We’re determined to support our sheep milk farmers, and we’re really proud to have been able to bring this product to market in such a short time thanks to our team and our amazing partners,” says Caroline Bell, MD of Shepherds Purse. “The feedback has been great so far and we can’t wait to get it on to people’s plates.” The company’s investment in its sheep milk farmers was an essential step in ensuring the supply chain survives the coronavirus crisis. “The whole chain is so important to the survival of British producers, and where we are asking retailers to support us, we must support our primary producers, too. Fettle has been one way that we have been able to do that.” To ensure the success of this project, Caroline called on retailers and consumers for their support in getting Fettle onto customers’ plates. “The extent to which we can continue to buy extra milk from the farmers to help to ensure their survival through this crisis, will depend on how much of this new Fettle, and our other cheeses, customers can buy and enjoy.” Simon Stott of Sheep Milk UK said the new product had been a lifeline for sheep milk producers: “Any help we can get at the moment is vital and this new Fettle product is a big lifeline for us. Some of our farmers have already had to dry off due to the massive drop in demand, so the future of the British sheep milk is still far from secure.” Shepherds Purse supports industry with new cheese launch “Celebrating truly splendid British cheeses” T he graph was tracking upwards for weeks, but as lockdown started, it began falling. But then – a sudden spike. Yes, the British Cheese Weekender had an immediate effect on my weight. The bonus from weeks of extra exercise and long sunny dog walks vanished over the course of just three days. My supposedly ‘intelligent’ scales no longer recognised me. The crisis facing artisan cheese makers isn’t going to go away until hospitality outlets re-open with full capacity. Many smaller producers haven’t relied solely on retail cheesemongers to sell their wares – a strong focus had been on supplying restaurants and pubs, together with sales at food festivals and farmers’ markets. All of which went dark in late March. British Cheese Weekender has been a great fillip for us all. Its media reach was superb, speaking to an audience numbed by virus statistics – desperate for an ‘and finally’ story of hope, personal interest and fun. Juliet Harbutt ran a British Cheese Week for a number of years, in tandem with the announcement of the winners of the British Cheese Awards, but that Week hasn’t happened in five years or so. The Weekender was just the perfect length of time to capture punters’ imaginations and for a programme of classes and events online – a medium that has truly come into its own in the past three months. Huge kudos to all involved. Particular credit should be given to the cheesemakers who embraced the opportunity, creating collaborative efforts with their neighbours to create JUSTIN TUNSTALL one-stop hampers – I enjoyed a fine Devon cheeseboard from Sharpham (with Quickes and Devon Blue) and a Dorset selection from Book & Bucket. Others have bitten the bullet and sold off stock to consumers at near wholesale prices – both Cornish Blue and James’s Cheese had a mountain to shift. Hopefully very little of our fine British cheeses will have ended being wasted and in landfill. People need their food treats, especially when they can’t get them as meals out. Until hospitality reopens, the volume of the artisan cheese market is anyone’s guess. Will makers pause production, or adjust their volumes downwards? Can we nurture these routes to the consumer (alongside traditional cheesemongers) to rebuild the market? In what volume will cheeses be available for Christmas, and how will consumers get them? How long will Paxton’s famous Jermyn St Christmas queue be, if we are still observing social distancing? With events such as The British Cheese Weekender (which I hope will become an annual event), the cheese industry will do more than muddle through – it will make the most of the array of truly splendid British cheeses that have blossomed over the last 25 years.