Cheddar made the traditional way

Although time has moved on since the first Barber's cheddar was made in the early 1800s, our focus remains on producing cheddar that is in keeping with tradition. Whilst we have embraced modern technology to make improvements to the cheesemaking process and to the quality of the final product, we want to demonstrate that farming and food manufacturing can be integrated to create products with heritage, tradition and quality.

Fresh milk is delivered from our farms to our dairy each day where it is pasteurised and infused with traditional starter cultures. Rennet is added and the milk coagulates into a soft junket which is cut and scaled, separating the solid curds from the liquid whey. The whey is drained from the curd, allowing the small curd particles to compress together to form a solid mattress which is then cut, stacked and repeatedly turned by hand (a process known as 'cheddaring' from which cheddar gets its name) to give the cheese the perfect body. By feeling the curd, the cheese-maker can make subtle changes to each batch based on his experience, knowledge and skill. It is then milled into chip sized pieces, and salted to help preserve and control the development of the finished cheese. Once this has been done the curd is pressed into blocks and stored in wooden boxes for up to two years. It is tasted at regular intervals throughout that period by the Barber family and the cheese-grading team, and only the very best leaves with the 1833 stamp.