THE SWALEDALE CHEESE COMPANY HISTORY

Read all about our company history, Swaledale Cheese Company can trace its artisan cheesemaking craft all the way back to the 11th century. The Cistercian monks are believed to have created the original recipe using ewe’s milk and  then passed on the cheese making techniques to the local farmers of Swaledale. 

Over the centuries the recipe has been passed on from one generation to another and the process was changed to include different varieties of milk, including cows and goats’ milk. 

During the 20th century the art of cheesemaking declined in Swaledale and by 1980, there was only one farm producing cheese. When the Longstaff farm stopped producing cheese, Mrs. Marjorie Longstaff passed on the original Swaledale cheese process to the founders of Swaledale Cheese Company. The process has remained unchanged since the production of cheese began in 1987.