Our Cheeses

We pride ourselves in producing a raft of high quality farmhouse cheeses that are certainly far from being described as average.

Using some old family recipes, traditional cheese making skills that take years to perfect and local Lancashire milk from our own farms, the Butlers logo will only appear on cheeses that are worthy of the name.

Leading our product range is the magical Blacksticks brand which is going from strength to strength as more discerning cheese lovers seek out real British specialities with a character of their own. Our handmade goats cheeses cater for every taste and continue to exceed the expectations of even the greatest connoisseur whilst our traditional regional cheeses have led the market since 1932, delivering that real and genuine taste sought by so many cheese enthusiasts.

It takes time to make cheeses like these, but the end result makes it entirely worthwhile.

Hard Cheeses

Trotter Hill

A fully matured and extremely special rinded Lancashire cheese, handmade by Butlers using a raft of traditional  cheese making skills. Wrapped in muslin and matured in the barn at Throstle Nest Farm’

Trotter Hill has a deep, complex, savoury flavour and a creamy pale yellow colour.

Blacksticks

A range of Blacksticks cheeses, how did this happen?

Since its creation in 2003 Blacksticks Blue, unique to Butlers, has grown rapidly in both popularity and availability as more and more people discovered a cheese that was truly special and different to other British blues.

Simon Rimmer Quote

Originally developed to satisfy a need in the restaurant business, Blacksticks Blue was spotted by Marks and Spencer and there quickly followed a widening of availability across delicatessens, food halls and other supermarkets throughout the UK. Fans of Blacksticks Blue include everyone from individual consumers to celebrity chefs!

And so a range of Blacksticks cheeses was born to cater for each and every taste; a selection of four different blue cheeses and a choice of three soft white cheeses, all hand crafted by skilled cheese makers using British milk from the farms surrounding Butler’s Lancashire dairy (including a number of family farms). Each cheese is handmade and given the time and care required to allow consistent maturation to perfection.

In 2008 alone, Blacksticks cheeses won seven major cheese awards, demonstrating the uniqueness of this collection. Contemporary British handmade cheeses of distinction that retain the history and values of Butlers.

Where did the name Blacksticks come from?

Blacksticks Lane

Just up the road from the dairy, at the foot of Beacon Fell, there is a pretty little road called Blacksticks Lane, which is also the location of Blacksticks Farm – both characterfully named after a group of tall chestnut trees at the farm, which looks just like a bunch of tall black sticks in winter! The Butlers family farmed Blacksticks Farm for many years, making cheese there before going on to open a restaurant, Blacksticks Farmhouse Restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1961 and a few years later the cheese making equipment was given to Jean, Tom’s wife, to help her continue the family’s cheese making. So it seemed most appropriate that a brand new cheese created by the Butlers dairy should be named Blacksticks.

Soft Cheese

We make a range of Soft Goats Cheese at our Ravens Oak diary, these include:

Ravens Oak

A smooth and soft goats cheese, made in small rounds rather like a Camembert. Handmade in small batches at Butler’s Ravens Oak Dairy, this distinctive cheese offers a subtle flavour of almonds and white wine, developing a greater depth as the cheese naturally matures.

Kidderton Ash

An outstanding goats cheese handmade at Butler’s Ravens Oak Dairy, Kidderton Ash is log shaped and features a delicate creamy flavour. Sprinkled with charcoal ash prior to maturing, a fabulous visual effect can be appreciated when the cheese is sliced.

The contrast of textures can be enjoyed from the soft white coat, the firmer charcoal ash layer and then the soft luscious goats cheese in the centre. The velvety texture of the cheese when young becomes creamier as it matures.

Speciality

Back in 1932 we started turning the cows milk into Lancashire cheese on the farm, 80 years later and Lancashire cheese made from cows milk is still an important part of our business.

Trotter Hill – Tasty Lancashire

A fully matured and extremely special rinded Lancashire cheese, handmade by Butlers using a raft of traditional cheesemaking skills. The name originates from the steep hill in Inglewhite village where locals would trot their horses whilst at the village fair. Wrapped in muslin and matured for up to a year in the barn at Throstle Nest Farm, unique natural flora moulds help to develop the cheese’s specific flavour profile and texture. Trotter Hill has a deep, complex, savoury flavour and a creamy pale yellow colour.

Goosnargh Gold – Double Gloucester 

Named after an old local village just up the road from Butlers, Goosnargh Gold is a traditional rinded golden cheese, matured for up to eight months, nestled amongst the natural flora of Throstle Nest Barn, each carefully wrapped in muslin. Another fiercely guarded family recipe, Goosnargh Gold has a rich and mature flavour with a buttery, caramel edge and a mellow nutty bite.