"We know what's good and proper" - how Lancashire is 'heaven-sent' for cheesemaking
"Here in Lancashire we take what we have for granted, but there's so much more for people to find out about in the wider area."
Butler's Farmhouse Cheeses simply couldn't do what they do without Lancashire.
The family-owned business based at Wilson Fields Farm, Inglewhite, Preston, can trace its origin back to 1932, but with a £10m cheese campus recently opened by the King, has it's eyes firmly set on the future.
But without the damp Lancashire climate and dedication of Lancashire folk, there wouldn't be the array of products that we know and love.
Matthew Hall is a fourth generation family owner, and says lush grass and rain comes to mind when he thinks of Lancashire - and not in a bad way. "The area is heaven-sent for cheese-making", he declared. "You have the lush, green grass, the clay-based soil with an acidity that really give our cheese its unique taste."
The high-density of cheese making within less than a six-mile radius of Wilson Field's Farm is testament to Matthew being correct, but he still thinks there's work to be done promoting the area and its produce.
"The route basically comes beside the farm and it's our chance to put Lancashire cheese on the map. As a general rule of thumb, I don't think the food and drink scene in Lancashire is as celebrated as it could be. People are starting to recognise the Ribble Valley as an exciting place, but we don't have 'Made in Lancashire' front of pack like they do with 'Made in Devon' or 'Made in Cornwall.
"So the question for me, is, how do we take cheese out of Lancashire?"
Taking his cheese beyond county walls is high on Matthew's agenda, and although Blacksticks Blue, Kidderton Ash and Throstle Nest goats cheese are sold nationally and other cheeses are consistenly on the cheese boards of Michelin-starred restaurants, there's still amusement when he sees some of his products marked up as 'new'.
This has recently been the case with Trotter Hill Lancashire cheese, the recipe invented by his grandmother, Jean Butler, in 1969.
In July, cheese expert Morgan McGlynn Carr went viral after posting a video of herself unwrapping a 20kg wheel of traditional clothbound Trotter Hill Lancashire cheese at her shop, Cheeses of Muswell Hill, gaining 10 million views.
The dairy farm was bought by the Butler family in 1932, and Matthew is looking to build on the heritage, describing it as "a privilege" to be able to introduce more people to real farmhouse cheeses - which by definition have to be made from milk thats more than 50 per cent from the farm.
And when people talk about the importance of food miles, it's food metres in Butler's case - with milk coming from the family farm across the road, run by Matthew's cousin.
He said: "There's still farming grit here in Lancashire and we like to do things properly. We know what's good and proper."
Handily, this fits in with Matthew's learning about the evolving food market. He said: "Consumer market is changing. We're more conscious of what we're putting into our bodies and eating things that are good for the body and mind."
Butlers employ 85 staff - all from Lancashire - who Matthew describes as "bloody brilliant".
He said: "The rural economy really understands farming and the people here are really wedded to the rural lifestyle and the connection back to the land.
"They really care about the quality of the product and that's what helps us continue to win the Great Taste Awards. Cheese is a living, breathing thing and it notices if you're not handling it properly. If you drop it, it bruises, just like you or I.
"I'd say that cheesemaking is a voctation, it's not a case of doing the job and going home, it's more a cheese first, self second mentality.”
For more information on Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, click here.