St Jude is made by Julie Cheyney, using raw cow’s milk sourced from one family farm in Norfolk, having previously been made with milk from Fen Farm, Suffolk.
Julie’s love of the dairy industry began as a teenager, when she would milk cows and first learn about the journey from pasture, to milk, to cheese. She quickly understood the importance of animal welfare and good soil husbandry, so when the opportunity arose to relocate to Jonny Crickmore’s farm and use his herd’s milk for her cheese production, it was an obvious choice.
At the time, Fen Farm Dairy made the UK’s only raw milk, farmhouse Brie style cheese and worked exclusively with Montbeliarde cattle, an ancient breed that originates from the Jura region of France. The cows at Fen Farm were hand selected by Jonny Crickmore, the third generation of his family to farm the land at Fen Farm, from small farms in Jura, specifically to create this British ‘Brie’. The cows have a lower milk yield than most breeds but produce a very protein rich, high quality milk which is ideal for cheesemaking. Certain French cheeses, including Vacherin Mont d’Or, Comté and Reblochon are all made exclusively from this particular milk.
In 2025, Julie moved site and began working with Burrough’s family farm in Wheatacre, on the edge of the Norfolk Broads. The family has farmed 1000 acres of farmland for 80 years and have been passionate breeders of the British Friesian dairy cow, but also include Brown Swiss and Ayreshires within their herd. Their shared commitment to animal welfare made them the perfect choice to supply Julie’s milk.
The St Jude cheeses are always made within two hours of the cows being milked and every cheese is handmade. Julie believes in low intervention cheesemaking, treating the milk with care and allowing the raw milk’s qualities to shine.
The stage of lactation, the cow’s diet, and the time of year all affect the final flavour and texture of the cheese, one of the great joys of a true farmhouse, raw milk cheese. In the winter, the cheese is much more buttery, with a complex flavour profile, while in the summer, the cheese is fresh, vegetal and grassy.
