Foodies’ Christmases have all come at once with the opening of a visitor attraction on a Lanarkshire farm which produces world-class, award-winning cheeses.
Husband-and-wife team Selina and Andrew Cairns will open the doors of their first farm shop on Friday, December 9, where visitors will be able to see the hand-making process that goes into the Errington cheese that is loved by the UK’s top chefs.
The opening of the shop on Walston Braehead Farm near Carnwath comes hot on the heels of the company scooping three top prizes at the World Cheese Awards.
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The farm currently has around 350 dairy Lacaune ewes and 150 dairy goats, along with four Tamworth sows and their offspring, who consume the whey from the cheesemaking process.
The sheep lamb during January and February and are milked until early September, while the goats kid in spring and summer and are milked all year round.
Selina told Lanarkshire Live: “Customers will get to see first-hand how the cheese is made, and it gives us a great opportunity to explain how seasonal changes affect the cheese, the animals and all the other variables that go into cheese-making.
“We feel this is the perfect time of year to open our shop, as people plan their festive cheese boards and are looking for locally-made gifts.
“Over the past few years people have become more and more interested in visiting the farm to meet the goats, sheep and pigs, and to see how the cheese is made, as well as buying cheese directly from us.
"Before now we haven’t had a suitable space to offer this.”
The shop is housed in the original farmhouse where the full range of Errington cheese will be available to buy, alongside a few carefully-selected farmhouse cheeses from across the UK.
Cheese-lovers will have the opportunity to taste before they buy, as well as seeing cheese being made and the maturing rooms.
In addition to cheese, the shop will also stock a selection of locally-made condiments, oatcakes and cakes. There will also be an option to buy free-range, whey-fed pork reared on the farm as it becomes available.
In the spring of 2023, the Cairns are hoping to launch a small café adjoining the shop, serving light lunches with a focus on cheese and charcuterie boards.
There are also plans to open the farm to visitors in the new year for lambing and kidding days, as well as offering self-guided tours so visitors can gain a better understanding of the cheese-making process.
Errington Cheese was established in 1985 by Selina’s father, Humphrey Errington, who kept dairy sheep to make Lanark Blue, a blue ewe’s milk cheese.
A hard ewe’s milk traditional-style cheddar, Corra Linn, followed in 2008 to make use of the glut of spring milk.
In 2019, Selina and Andrew introduced dairy goats on to the farm and have developed a range of well-received goat’s cheese.
Earlier this month, their Blackmount goat’s cheese won ‘Super Gold’ at the World Cheese Awards, hosted by the Guild of Fine Food at the International Convention Centre in Newport, South Wales.
Judged by cheese experts representing 38 nations, Errington also scooped the Gold Award for its Tinto cheese and Silver for the Elrick Log variety.
Errington cheese is sold to specialist cheese shops, restaurants, delis, farm shops and through their online shop. Selina and Andrew believe the farm shop will help them forge lasting relationships with customers from far and wide.
The farm shop will be open from 11.30am to 3.30pm daily until Christmas.
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