We’re so excited to be bringing Shepherds Purse Cheeses to our online shop. For years we’ve been friends of the company and fans of their cheeses and we’re so proud to be able to stock a selection of their fantastic cheeses. Shepherds Purse are a proud, independent family business making cheese in the traditional way on our farm in North Yorkshire, and have been making cheese since the late 1980’s.

Enjoy their award-winning artisan cheeses from cow’s milk and sheep milk, Yorkshire Blue, Harrogate Blue, Mrs Bell’s Blue, Bluemin White.

Meet the Cheese:

From left to right

• Bluemin White – Bluemin White is described a “blue brie-style cheese”. Made from Yorkshire cows’ milk, and matured in their carefully managed ripening stores, it develops a velvety blue rind and ripens gently from the outside in. When ready, the cheeses are wrapped and moved to the next store to develop their rich, nutty flavour and amazing melt-in-the-mouth texture.
• Mrs Bells Blue – A favourite of Rick Stein and Raymond Blanc, Mrs Bell’s Blue is as creamy as her sister cheese, our Yorkshire Blue, but whiter in appearance. Once we’ve handmade and salted each batch, they’re matured for a minimum of 10 weeks. This achieves the complex blue flavour that’s comparable to Roquefort but creamier and less salty.
• Yorkshire Blue  – Yorkshire Blue is handmade and matured over eight weeks. Each week, cheese is turned by hand, which achieves the lovely blue veining and smooth texture. Buttery, sweet and mild, it makes an ideal introduction to blue cheese. With age, the flavour deepens and becomes more complex without compromising the mild creaminess that’s helped make it a national favourite. Launched in 1995, Yorkshire Blue was Shepherds Purse first blue cheese, our first cheese made from cow’s milk, and the first blue cheese to be made in Yorkshire for 30 years
• Harrogate Blue – Harrogate Blue is matured for a minimum of 10 weeks – the optimum time for the cheese to develop exactly the right depth of flavour and creaminess. A hit from day one, Harrogate Blue won its first award just two weeks after launch in 2012 and was the first cheese co-produced by Katy and Caroline (Judy’s daughters) after taking over the running of the dairy. It’s since scooped two golds at the Global Cheese Awards and in 2017 it won a Super Gold and was judged to be the 11th best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards in London.

Meet the Maker

Q How would you describe Shepherds Purse Cheeses in 3 words?

Luxurious. Creamy. Delicious.

 Q What would you eat with Shepherds Purse Cheeses?

Rye crackers, figs, honey, crusty French bread, nuts, dried fruit, nutty bread, fruity/spicy chutney

 Q What would you drink with Shepherds Purse Cheeses?

Desert wine like a Sauternes with our stronger blue cheeses, Brandy, White wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, dry Riesling and Italian white with our milder blue cheeses. Hearty beers go well with our cheeses too and there’s loads of room to experiment here!

 Q Tell us a fun fact about Shepherds Purse Cheeses?

Shepherds Purse is the name of a plant that grows on our farm, so when our Dad suggested the name when we were naming our company it made perfect sense – especially since we made a collection of cheeses from sheep milk at the time. It wasn’t until the mid 90’s that we added cow’s milk and later buffalo milk to our range. 

Q If you were to choose your top 3 items from our online deli that paired well with *Your cheese*, what would they be?

Fig Chutney, Cocketts Wensleydale Fruit Cake and The Fine Cheese Co. Walnut, Honey and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crackers

Shop now!