So what do you do when the kids have left home and you find yourself with time on your hands? Bridge? Pilates? Knitting? No such gentle pastimes for Elizabeth Snowdon. She arrived home one day and announced she was going to start looking for premises and make a dairy. As you do. ‘My husband wasn’t altogether shocked’ she says ‘I’ve made cheese for family and friends for years, and I’ve always had the thought that one day I’d like to do it properly’. After some hunting she found a small corner at St Hilda’s in Whitby and set to.
She’s working in a space about the size of a bathroom, and the ‘shop’ at the front is even smaller – but as we know, size isn’t everything, and the half dozen cheeses she’s making are fabulous. She’s using milk from a Jersey herd from Sleights; Whitby Jet is a smooth, rich and creamy cheddar whilst Endeavour is sweet and milky, with earthy tones. My favourite though is Sandsend which is suffused with a subtle umami flavour provided by gold Kelp and green Pepper Dulse seaweed. I know! Elizabeth exhibits the zeal of a woman who’s found her stride and will happily give you one tasting after another. If you don’t take a piece of all of them home you’re made of sterner stuff than me.
The shop is open Thursday to Saturday, or head for stockists Bothams on Skinner Street in town. The Whitby Cheese Co. The Dairy, St Hilda’s Centre,Whitby YO22 4ET. 074777 08777