Kirkham’s Lancashire

The Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese recipe was passed down to Ruth Kirkham, by her mother, in 1978. Ruth’s mother’s equipment was brought to Beesley Farm on the outskirts of Goosnargh Village, and Ruth’s husband began transforming the old piggery into a farm for their 40 Holstein Friessian cows and a cheese making dairy. Cheese continued to be made there for three decades, until 2008.

Ruth’s son Graham returned to the farm and joined the family business in the early 00’s. He focused on increasing production and also selling directly to the public at farmer’s markets and speciality food events. In 2006, he decided to build a new, more modern cheese dairy, with a new milking parlour and living quarters for their larger herd of cows. The entire project was completed in 2008.

In the summer, the cows graze of lush Lancashire grass and in the winter, they are housed indoors and fed silage and a mix of oats, barley, wheat and maize.

Kirkham’s Lancashire is now the only remaining raw milk Lancashire producer using traditional methods. The family make 20 cheeses, entirely by hand, every day.

The cows are outdoor reared, fed a homegrown diet, and the cheese is made on the same site as the grazing fields, so there are no food miles involved in production.