Making of Raedwald

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 different enough from Baron Bigod that it wouldn’t affect the sales of the Baron. 

On a study tour of the French Savoie region with a group of fellow British cheesemakers, 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.

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. 

Reblochon is a cheese that is very much associated with winter and cooking/melting in the skiing season. In fact, tartiflette, a melting dish made with baked Reblochon, potatoes, onions, bacon and cream, is one of the most popular aprés ski meals in France!

Fancy adding Rædwald to your next cheeseboard? Click here to buy it now!