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3 Secrets

A unique expression of place

Our 3 Secrets

Control

We oversee every step of the process here on our own farm from soil, to cow, to finished product, so we can be sure everything we make meets the “real food” standards we would want for our own family – an approach that’s extremely rare in 21st-century food production.

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Proximity

Our entire process happens on a single site, on a single day—right here on our farm.

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Gentleness

Milk is fragile and complex, so handling it with care is essential to protect the delicate fats and proteins that create the finest and most nutritious dairy products.

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Control

What this means:

We grow our own forage and grazing crops right here in the surrounding landscape. Every cow in our herd is cared for as an individual, and we safeguard the quality of our milk from the moment it leaves the cow. What we take from the land, we put back again. We use the power of nature to produce our energy where possible. We call this circular farming.

From start to finish, every aspect of our farm and food production is under our control:

  • The care of our unique soils and grazing pastures. We have eliminated artificial fertilisers, using just our own natural cow muck to nourish our soils. Great soil health encourages strong and diverse plant life, providing rich nutrition for our cows and beautiful flourishing habitats for wildlife. 
  • The care and breeding of our cows. Our herd is predominantly of the Monbéliarde breed, a breed renowned for producing milk for some of the world’s finest cheeses. Every cow in our herd is cared for as an individual. Our philosophy is that healthy and happy cows produce healthy, high quality milk. 
  • Growing our own feed. We aim to grow as much of our cows’ feed as possible here in our surrounding landscape. This means we can have full control over the quality of our cows diet and the care of our soils and environment. It also means we can minimise any imports of globally produced feeds, meaning much lower food miles.
  • Maintaining rigorous hygiene in milking practices. We employ additional team members in the milking parlour to ensure our cows udders are carefully cleaned before milking. 
  • Crafting cheese, yogurt, and butter by hand. Milk is a fragile substance and can be easily damaged by harsh treatment from processing machinery. No machine can imitate the gentleness and attention to detail of an artisan maker who really cares about their product. This is why we still perform most stages of our production by hand. 
  • Packaging, dispatching, and managing direct-to-consumer sales. This is all handled here at the farm, so we can be sure you’re getting what you ordered in tip-top condition.

With this level of control, we ensure that our cows and environment are expertly cared for and every product we create is of exceptional quality.

Proximity

Why this matters:

Milk begins to deteriorate rapidly from the moment it leaves the cow, so time is of the essence. Within minutes of the morning milking, our fresh milk is already in the making rooms just a few meters away. Within hours, it’s transformed into cheese, butter and yoghurt. 

This ensures:

  • Maximum freshness. Our milk is made into products within just a few hours of milking. 
  • Retention of the milk’s incredible natural characteristics. Our milk is never damaged by aggressive pumping, tanker transport or age. It comes straight from the cow and is fresh and full of the original nutrients it contained at milking. 
  • Fewer food miles. Our milk only travels a few metres from cow to production rooms, meaning no food miles at this stage of the process – a rare occurrence in modern dairy. 

By eliminating the damage and time-lag of transportation, we preserve the best qualities of our milk, resulting in incredible tasting products.

Gentleness

Our gentle approach:

  • Milk is gravity-fed directly from the milking parlour to the making rooms next door, avoiding pumps that can damage its delicate structure.
  • Every product is crafted by hand. No large industrial dairy equipment.
  • Our cheeses are hand-ladled, turned, and wrapped with care. It takes us longer but it’s worth it. 
  • Our yogurt is hand-strained slowly through traditional muslin cloths to create a delicate and delicious consistency and retain the natural nutrients of the milk.

 

Artisanship and attention to detail ensure that our dairy products are not just good – they’re the best.

At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to quality, sustainability, and a deep respect for the land, our animals, and our craft. These 3 Secrets are what make our products truly special.

Making Baron Bigod

The quality of our cheese today is the result of a decade of learning. Follow us inside our cheese making rooms to discover the secrets behind our award-winning Baron Bigod Brie.

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1

Early in the morning when our milk is still warm and fresh from the milking parlour, it heads directly into the cheese making building next door. What makes our process so unique is that we gently feed the milk into our cheesemaking vats via gravity. This avoids using pumps, which would destroy the flavour and integrity of the delicate milk.

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2

The milk is gently heat-treated. Next, Head cheesemaker Marc ads carefully selected strains of lactic bacteria to the milk. These live cultures quickly begin to acidify the milk, to start the cheesemaking process.

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3

During the early stages of the cheesemaking process, we keep testing the milk temperature and acidity levels. This is incredibly important to make sure the cheese is a consistent product every time.

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4

Once the milk meets the desired acidity, we gravity feed it into a series of small vats, ready for renneting.

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5

Once we have calculated the precise amount of rennet required, we stir it into the milk. The natural enzymes in the rennet begin to coagulate the milk.

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6

Within a precisely calculated window, the rennet transforms the milk into a firm jelly, called curd.

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7

The pH and firmness of the curd are carefully monitored. By watching the curd closely, the cheesemaking team know exactly when to cut the curd. Precise cuts are made in the jelly-like curd, to allow the whey (liquid part of the milk) to escape from the curd (solid part of the milk).

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8

As the whey escapes, it forms a deep puddle on top of the curd, which we carefully skim from the top of the vats.

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9

The real skill in our cheesemaking process and what we believe makes it so artisanal, is the human element. No machine can emulate this level of care and attention. At this stage of the cheesemaking, we carefully hand-ladle all the curd in small layers into hoop-shaped moulds.

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10

A great deal of care and focus is invested at this stage to make sure every single cheese has the right quality and quantity of curd added to the hoops.

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11

Over the next few hours, we turn the cheeses over in their hoops to allow the correct level of drainage and to create the shape of the finished cheese. By 9:30pm, the working day is done but the cheesemaking process continues into the next day.

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12

At 5am on day 2, we de-hoop the cheeses and after a moisture test and recording of weight, we sprinkle a carefully measured quantity of salt onto both sides of each cheese.

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13

Once salted, the cheese begins its maturing process. Over the following few days, each cheese will be hand-turned daily in a warm room, to allow the moulds to develop evenly.

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14

By about day 4, little specks of white mould begin to form on the cheese surfaces. In the coming days, the cheese grows more and more of the white mould which is called Penicillium Candidum. Other moulds and yeasts that are native only to our farm and have come in through the air vents or have established in the maturing rooms over time, also begin to grow.

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15

We are very careful about how we wash the maturation rooms and walls, as so many of the unique flavours and characteristics of our cheese come from the environment around the farm. We don’t want to disturb the balance!

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16

Once the cheeses are fully covered in white mould, we then wrap each one in waxed paper and place it in special poplar wood boxes. The boxes play a very important part in the maturation of the cheese, as they help create the right environment for the moulds to break down the curd of the cheese into all that delicious gooeyness.

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17

Throughout the maturation stages, we taste-test the cheeses at certain ages to check that the maturation is going to plan (it’s a hard life). During these taste tests, we also make decisions about where and when each batch of cheese will be sold, depending on our customers’ requirements.

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18

Several weeks later, the cheeses are now ready to be eaten. The gooeyness and flavours intensify when the cheese is left at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour before eating.

Adding Truffle to Baron Bigod

For the ultimate in cheesy decadence, we have Truffle Baron Bigod. It is the same delicious Baron Bigod with an extra twist!

Our award-winning Baron Bigod cheese with a layer of our homemade mascarpone, infused with the finest black truffles. Beneath the nutty, mushroomy rind, Baron Bigod has a smooth, silky golden breakdown which will often ooze out over a layer of our unctuous truffle-infused mascarpone. You will find long lasting flavours of warm earth, farmyard and mushrooms.

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1

A small selection of young Baron Bigod cheeses are selected to become Truffled Baron Bigods!

FenFarmDairy Fen Farm Dairy The UK's finest dairy products Home to Baron Bigod Brie and Bungay Butter Truffled Baron Bigod

2

A cheese is sliced and a filling of our homemade mascarpone, infused with the finest black truffles is sandwiched between the two halves.

FenFarmDairy Fen Farm Dairy The UK's finest dairy products Home to Baron Bigod Brie and Bungay Butter Truffled Baron Bigod

3

The last week of maturation blends the cheese and truffle-infused mascarpone ready for an even greater taste explosion when finally cut and served.

Featured

Read more about Fen Farm Dairy in our featured blog posts
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Baron Bigod Fritters with Apple and Fig Chutney by Fox & Goose chef Paul Yaxley

Baron Bigod Fritters with Apple and Fig Chutney by Fox & Goose chef Paul Yaxley

The Fox & Goose in Fressingfield has been consistently serving up some of the finest food in our region for as long as we can remember. We asked owner and head chef Paul Yaxley to share with us his favourite Christmas Baron Bigod recipe. Baron Bigod fritters with apple and fig chutney Perfect for Christmas canapés…
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Baron Bigod, Curried Apple & Date Chutney Rarebit by Fork Deli’s Justin Kett

Baron Bigod, Curried Apple & Date Chutney Rarebit by Fork Deli’s Justin Kett

Award-winning Suffolk chef Justin Kett opened Fork Deli in Hadleigh just over 2 years ago. We are proud to stock some of Fork’s delicious chutneys and sauces in our all-new milk shed here at the farm. In fact, you can buy all the ingredients you need to make Justin’s tasty and comforting recipe from our shop! Baron…
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Crumpet and Baron Bigod Pancetta Parcels by Crumpetorium

Crumpet and Baron Bigod Pancetta Parcels by Crumpetorium

This is a really quick and easy recipe from Norfolk’s artisan crumpetiers, Crumpetorium. It’s perfect for a tasty lunch, or could be served up as part of a dinner meal by adding in your favourite sides such as roasted vegetables. The Baron Bigod melts wonderfully into and around the crumpet to reveal a delicious cheesy treat when you cut into…
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