Blue cheese for breakfast (an Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund apprentice’s view on all things Neal’s Yard Dairy)

We have had the pleasure of hosting Ellen who is the 2024 Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund (ASLF) apprentice. The ASLF is an American organisation which honours the great, late cheese pioneer Anne Saxelby by providing opportunities for young people to live on sustainable farms across the US. Neal's Yard Dairy is currently the only ASLF partner in the UK and we offer an experience across our London-based business instead of on farms. Read on to find out what Ellen has been up to. 

Stilton Maturation experiment tasting at 8am on a Thursday morning? I knew I’d made the right choice when I saw this on the agenda for my Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund (ASLF) apprenticeship with Neal’s Yard Dairy. 

Now, although blue cheese may not be everyone’s first choice for breakfast*, I’m sure Anne would have risen to the occasion with curiosity and gusto. A pioneering American cheesemaker, cheesemonger and creative who passed away before her time, Anne’s spirit and impact is celebrated and remembered through a nonprofit organisation that facilitates month-long placements in the USA and UK for young adults, either on sustainable farms or within artisanal cheese businesses. Having travelled all over Europe learning about farmhouse cheeses and supporting independent producers, Anne’s mission marries perfectly with that of Neal’s Yard Dairy; to celebrate creativity in cheesemaking and maturation, as well as the people behind the products. 

Coming from a Cornish farming family and having worked in people-facing roles within the Arts & Cultural sector for over two years now, this opportunity felt like a calling (and a collision of my two worlds!) that I couldn’t ignore. I have always believed both art and creatives have the power to facilitate learning and engagement amongst communities from all walks of life, so it has been really rewarding to discover that it is no different when it comes to the (somewhat overlooked) art forms of Cheesemaking and Cheesemongering. 

For instance, it cannot be overstated how much everybody loves cheese here, and how contagious that love is. Seriously. The passion people have for the product and the process underpins every decision each department makes, plus the relationships with producers and customers alike are treated with such respect and dedication.  

Coming from a family of mice, anyone that knows me knows that there is no need to preach to the converted on the cheese-loving front, but even I have found myself falling deeper into the rabbit hole of cheese lore. For example, did you know that there was a pre-war recipe for Wensleydale that almost faded into obscurity, only to now have been revived by those who make Stonebeck? Please try it when you are next in the shops or ordering online. Its creamy, yoghurty notes blew me away as someone who had only tasted acidic and crumbly supermarket Wensleydale up until now. 

As I’m writing this, I’m unfortunately coming to the end of my 4-week rotation, whereby I’ve been able to spend time with Production, Maturation, Retail and Office teams respectively. Each department has its own distinct personality, and it has been so valuable to spend time with them all and see what makes them tick. Is it the science behind secondary mould growth? A seamless production line inspired by Toyota manufacturing? Curating the perfect cheeseboard with a customer in the shops, or perhaps designing a celebration cake for their special day? From rind-washing Riseley to visiting Wholesale customers, upselling Cornish Yarg or preparing a huge pallet of Montgomery’s Cheddar for the US, the variety of things I have learnt and experienced in such a small space of time has been invaluable. I would encourage anyone with a curious mind (and a curious palate, for that matter) to apply for the apprenticeship next year, as I have genuinely enjoyed every second of it. It has been exactly the move I needed at this stage of my life and career to not only apply what I’ve learnt to the wider food and farming landscape of now and tomorrow, but also to bring me back to my first true passion. 

I can’t take all the credit for this shift, however. My cousin works for Lynher Dairies who produce Cornish Yarg (a business based a stone’s throw away from where we were born and raised) and they are the one who reminded me of my childhood obsession with cheese and jam sandwiches (don’t knock it until you try it, a strong cheddar and my mum’s homemade strawberry jam works best) and pointed out that 5+ books on cheese isn’t what you’d find in most 27-year olds’ bookcases. Put simply, as someone who didn’t really eat cheese growing up, she said to me: “Ellen, how the hell am I working in cheese, and you are not?!” 

Well, better late than cheddar I guess. 

(Pun-induced eye rolls are welcome, don’t be shy!).

*Although Neal's Yard Dairy’s Chairman, David Lockwood, would beg to differ, with Stilton on toast being a firm favourite that should be appreciated in the morning like Marmite on toast, apparently. I’m a Marmite lover, so you best believe I’ll be trying it tomorrow. Any takers?