Pitchfork Cheddar

In the 1990s farmhouse-Cheddar-maker Chris Duckett taught Todd Trethowan how to make Cheddar and Caerphilly.  Soon afterwards, Todd and his brother Maugan moved to Wales to restart production of traditional Welsh Caerphilly, where they created the (now) famous Gorwydd Caerphilly.

In 2014 Todd returned the production of their Caerphilly (Gorwydd) to Somerset, almost completing the circle by setting up not too far from Chris Duckett’s original farm.  Ever in the search to make the absolute best Caerphilly, the Trethowan brothers discovered that Puxton Court Farm, near Weston-Super-Mare, was producing a brilliant quality of milk. So they relocated there to further improve their Gorwydd Caerphilly.

Soon after, they decided to make another cheese on the farm to go alongside their famous Caerphilly… Cheddar.  Following traditional techniques handed down by Somerset Cheddar makers, they use old-fashioned bacterial cultures, ‘Cheddar’ by hand, and cloth-bind each cheese, before carefully maturing them for over a year.

The name “Pitchfork” is a reference to the old farming tools once used to toss the curd while mixing in the salt—a practice the Trethowans’ have since resurrected, imbuing their new-old cheddar with romance and history.

This wonderful cheese has a full-bodied flavour that is nutty and sweet with a creamy texture that lingers on the palate.