Norfolk Tawny

Back September 2024 

Ferndale Farm is a family-run mixed farm situated in the village of Barningham in the North Norfolk countryside. This is the home of Ferndale Cheeses where proper old-fashioned farmhouse cheese is made.  Award-winning semi-soft raw milk cheese, the surface of which is beer-washed with a strong Norfolk ale. Norfolk Tawny is a collaboration between Ferndale Cheeses in Little Barningham, near Holt, the dairy herd at Abbey Farm in Binham, and Beeston Brewery, whose beer is used to wash the surface of the cheese as it matures. The Old Stoatwobbler beer – itself a product of the region’s world-renowned malting barley – helps ripen the hand-made cheese, creating a distinctive texture to the rind and adding a subtle ale flavour to the surface. Traditionally this kind of cheese is often washed in wine in Italy or France. But given the distinct specialisms of their surrounding area, the cheesemakers opted for beer instead.  The quintessential taste of north Norfolk has been captured in a new beer-washed cheese. This semi-hard cheese provides a wonderful smell of Norfolk Stoatwobbler which creates a slightly salty, Caerphilly-style cheese, but with a stronger more pronounced taste. It's a wonderful addition to Norfolk's growing reputation for making wonderful cheeses. This is without a doubt one of our favourite cheeses.

Please note all cheeses are hand-cut, therefore the weights listed are approximate. We work very hard to cut them as accurately as we can!