Back in 2021, we realised that we needed to find a way to use up the surplus of rich, high cream milk that our cows produce in the depths of winter after Christmas, when sales of our first cheese, Baron Bigod, dwindle for a time.

We needed to make a cheese that wouldn’t introduce unwanted mould types into our cheese building which could affect the quality of Baron Bigod, but that was also different enough from Baron Bigod that it wouldn’t affect the sales of the Baron. 

On a study tour of the French Savoie region, Jonny was fortunate enough to visit some of the best Reblochon makers in France, many of whom never sell their cheeses outside of the Savoie. The flavours of these cheeses blew Jonny’s mind and he became determined to create something of this quality on our farm.

The name Reblochon is derived from the French word “reblocher” which translates as “to pinch a cow’s udder again”. Legend has it that the first Reblochon cheeses were created as a tax avoidance scheme. 13th Century French farmers were taxed on their milk by volume, so when the tax man came round to collect the taxes, the farmers would only partially milk their cows, leaving the last part of the milk in the udder. Once the tax man left, the farmers would quickly milk the final (and creamiest) part of the milk from their cows and make it into the most deliciously rich and creamy cheese.

The milk from our cows is at its richest and creamiest during the winter, making it ideal for making a Reblochon-style cheese.

Reblochon is also a cheese that is very much associated with winter and cooking/melting in the skiing season. As we only wanted to make this cheese in the winter, it seemed as though it was meant to be!

Once again, our wonderful Montbéliarde cows came to the rescue. The “Monty” is one of the most popular breeds for making Reblochon and many other famous cheeses in France.

To help us get started, we called on our old friend and French cheese technologist Ivan Larcher, who had helped us to develop our first cheese Baron Bigod, 10 years previously. Ivan joined Head cheesemaker Marc and his team in September 2023 and together they made the first trial batches of Rædwald here at Fen Farm.

Rædwald was the Anglo Saxon king of early Suffolk and Norfolk between 599-624AD. His story is shrouded in mystery but archaeologists believe they may have found his tomb at the hauntingly beautiful site of Sutton Hoo on the nearby Suffolk coast.

Buried in a grassy mound in a field, a beautiful timber longship, weapons and jewels fit for a king, items gifted from far-flung lands and the remains of an ornate battle helmet. The helmet has become the iconic symbol of King Rædwald and was our inspiration for the logo of our Rædwald cheese, drawn by artist Gemma Wiseman.

The flavours and aromas of our Rædwald cheese tell a story of the cool woodlands of Rædwald’s once-kingdom of coastal Suffolk. Deep spinneys of hazel, chestnut and oak, interspersed with scrubby purple heather and yellow honey-scented gorse. Reedy marshlands resonant with the booming of bitterns. Sprawling copses marching across high heathlands, whipped by briny sea air and occasionally tumbling over eroded cliffs to be smashed by the mud-brown North Sea and bleached to silver skeletons by the sun.