Lancashire's cheese powerhouse agrees new product deal with M&S - and it's King Charles' favourite snack

Parlick Reserve (RRP £4.50/150g) is a rich, creamy sheep’s milk cheese that is matured for six months. It takes its name from Lancashire’s Parlick Fell, which is just five miles from Butlers’ rural dairy on the outskirts of Preston.

Butlers is the largest producer of sheep’s milk cheese in the UK. Earlier this week, His Majesty King Charles met Gillian Hall, third-generation owner of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, during his visit to Lancaster, and shared his love of sheep’s cheese on a digestive biscuit.

The King smelt some of Butler’s cheeses, but did not try them. Gillian told PA: "We're going to send some to him later in a goody bag. He was so gracious."

The family cheesemakers have been handmaking specialist British hard, blue, and soft cheese from rural Lancashire since 1932. Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses said: “Parlick Reserve is a natural next step for our Parlick range and really appeals to the M&S shopper, particularly with growing consumer demand for sheep’s milk cheese.

“We love seeing partners like M&S embrace the breadth and quality of British cheeses, as well as the opportunity to breathe life into the fixture, driving shopper exploration and giving speciality cheeses like Parlick the prominence they deserve.”

High protein

As consumers have become more aware of cheese’s natural credentials like healthy fats, minimal processing and few ingredients, many are turning to sheep’s milk cheese as a nutrient-dense, high-protein, high-calcium option that offers both health benefits and a little indulgence.

Matthew added: “We have seen growing interest in our alternative milk cheese like Kidderton Ash goat’s cheese and also Parlick with its clean, fresh, nutty-sweet flavour. Their versatility mean they are becoming more everyday choices in the way cheddar has been historically. The market overall has contracted over the last two years due to a combination of general uncertainty and farmers exiting the sector, so we aim to bring stability through our retail partnerships, which, over the coming year, will see a 20 oer cent growth in the UK sheep’s milk industry.”

Parlick Reserve joins Parlick Original in the range, which is stocked at Sainsburys, Tesco and Morrisons stores across the UK. Parlick Brie is stocked in Waitrose. The full Parlick range is available at Butlers’ online cheese store. For more information visit www.butlerscheeses.co.uk.