I sometimes have to pinch myself - Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese celebrates huge milestone
A family-run dairy business whose flagship cheese is sold and served in the UK’s most exclusive restaurants, hotels and department stores has reached a major milestone.
Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese – which can be found on deli counters in Harrods and Fortnum and Mason – is celebrating 40 years of partnership with the revered Neal’s Yard Dairy.
The decades-long relationship has seen the Kirkham family supply Neal’s Yard with their signature products for onward distribution to an increasing number of high-end venues.
Managing Director of Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese, Graham Kirkham, said: “I sometimes have to pinch myself when I reflect on how far we have come as a business.
“We supply some fantastic household names with our signature products and the list, which includes Booths, Waitrose, some of London’s top department stores – and even Whole Foods Market in the USA – continues to grow.
“That is possible because of the fantastic relationship we have with Neal’s Yard, who have been at the forefront of the dairy industry for more than four decades.”
He added: “Whilst it’s the milestone with them we are celebrating today, it’s only right that we also note the fantastic relationships we have across the wholesale and retail sectors with partners including The Courtyard Dairy, Chorlton Cheese Mongers, The Fine Cheese Company, Paxton and Whitfield, and I.J. Mellis Cheesemongers to name but a few of our fantastic wholesalers. They have, and continue to be, a hugely important part of our journey.”
Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese was founded on the rural outskirts of Preston, Lancashire, in 1978, when Graham’s mother Ruth first started to make the cheese.
With the help of her husband John, Ruth turned an old piggery into a cheesemaking dairy which was used until 2008, when the family then built a new state of the art cheese making dairy and farmyard, which included cow housing, milking parlour and silo clamps.
The family now milk 100 cows and produce up to 100 tonnes of cheese every year using traditional methods.
In addition to top supermarkets and high-end department stores, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese also features on the menus of some of the UK’s leading ‘A-list’ hotels and restaurants, including The Langham, Hampton Manor, the triple-Michelin-starred Moor Hall and Michelin-starred St John in London.
For Graham, continued investment in the business is key to its ongoing success, with the most recent works focused on upgrades to the milking parlour.
That investment was made possible by working with Enterprise Answers, a not-for-profit business lender operating across Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire.
Grahame Latus, Chief Executive of Enterprise Answers, added: “We love to work with businesses with vision, drive and ambition.
“Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese is a perfect example of a family enterprise that has stayed true to its roots while embracing progress.
“Their commitment to quality and tradition has created a product – and a brand – that stands proudly on the world stage. It has been a privilege to help support their journey.”