Location: Leicestershire
Produce: Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Bosworth Field, Battlefield Blue
Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Company is located in Upton, a small hamlet in the South West Leicestershire countryside on a working dairy farm called Sparkenhoe Farm, managed by David Clarke and his wife Jo.
The couple are dairy farmers whose families have farmed in the area for generations. David manages the 150 head of pedigree Holstein Friesian cows. All the cows are named individually as well as having their own tag number, so you could meet a Greeta or a Hyacinth. The cows are fed on the farm's lush pastures and calving takes place all year round to keep a level supply of milk throughout the year.
David and Jo started making ‘Sparkenhoe’, a traditional Leicester Cheese in November 2005 – it is also David’s favourite! They use the milk produced from their own cows and this is pumped straight from the parlour directly into the cheese vat ready to make the cheese. They now have two new cheese additions to the selection - Bosworth Field and Battlefield Blue. These are both made with unpasteurised milk and handmade in the dairy. On average each cow on David’s farm produces 8200 litres of milk with the majority going into approximately 50 tonnes of cheese made on farm.
David and Jo’s cheese is stocked at various small shops around the country. In addition the farm also sells raw milk from their cheese shop and through First Milk.