Say Cheese, Swindon! The House Group’s Local Guide on National Cheese Lovers Day

Sitting at the heart of Wiltshire's beautiful countryside, we're surrounded by some of England's finest cheese-making heritage. Whether you'd normally choose a cheddar or go a bit barmy for a good blue, our town and the surrounding area have everything you need to mark the occasion properly.

Wiltshire's Own Cheese Legacy

Living in Swindon means being part of a county with genuine cheesemaking pedigree. Wiltshire has been producing exceptional cheese for centuries, and that tradition continues today. The historic Wiltshire Loaf – a semi-hard cheese that was at the peak of its popularity in the 18th and early 19th centuries – was even mentioned in Jane Austen's novel Emma. This traditional North Wiltshire cheese, once transported to London by barge via Lechlade on the Thames, nearly became one of England's lost cheeses when wartime shortages forced production into large factories.

Thankfully, it has been revived by local producers who've kept the old recipes alive.

The saying "chalk and cheese" actually comes from Wiltshire itself, if you’d ever wondered. It refers to the chalk downs in the south of the county and the cheese-making pastures in the north of the county. It's this perfect combination of landscape and heritage that makes our region so special for cheese lovers.

Exceptional Cheeses in and around Swindon

Just three miles from Swindon, on the Wiltshire/Oxfordshire border, Roves Farm Shop has become a destination for anyone who appreciates quality local produce.

Since opening in 2017, this family-run farm shop has grown from strength to strength, stocking over 500 products including an excellent range of locally sourced cheeses. Their shelves are filled with artisan treasures from across Wiltshire and beyond, alongside their own farm-reared meats, free-range eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, and homemade cakes and pies from the Woolly Sheep Café.

The shop even features a "Moo Station", dispensing fresh milk from Berkeley Farm just six miles away, and a zero-waste pantry for sustainable shopping.

For cheese-making itself though, venture a little further into the Wiltshire countryside, to Brinkworth Dairy. This is where traditional cheese-making comes alive. The Cryer family has farmed here for five generations, and in 2005, cheesemaker Ceri Cryer revived the aforementioned historic Wiltshire Loaf using her great-grandfather's hand-written recipe.

This cheese went on to win Best Territorial Cheese at the British Cheese Awards – a remarkable achievement and testament to Wiltshire's cheese heritage. Brinkworth Dairy now crafts a distinctive range of five farmhouse cheeses, including two award-winning blues, all made from milk from their own pedigree herd.

Their Brinkworth Blue has been described as "the best blue I have ever had" by delighted customers’ online reviews, while their Wiltshire Loaf offers that unique combination of creamy and crumbly texture that made it famous centuries ago.

The dairy's commitment to traditional methods and local production means every cheese tells a story – from soil to cheese, as they say. Most of their team can walk to work, with everyone living within three miles of the farm, making it a truly local enterprise.

A Special Mention for Another Wiltshire Treasure

Further afield, The Old Cheese Room produces exceptional artisan cheeses, including Baronet (an English take on French Reblochon, made with rich organic Jersey milk) and – especially – the award-winning Lypiatt, which earned a prestigious three-star Great Taste Award, with judges deeming it "a perfect cheese."

Only 200 out of 12,000 entries achieve this distinction, making it a real Wiltshire gem.

You’ll find it at various local specialist cheesemongers and delis, but you can also order it online from The Cheese Connection – and we highly recommend it.

Making the Most with a Fine Local Pairing

We’re lucky to have some fantastic local cheese makers in this county of ours with a tradition than spans hundreds of years - but we are now also producing great local wines too, to pair them with.

The  Bluestone Vineyard in the south of the county started planting in 2016, with its first vintage released in 2019. They specialise in sparkling wines, in particular Cuvées – and their Premier Cuveé makes a perfect pairing for hard cheeses in particular – for example, Lyburn’s Old Winchester. But, if you want to keep it local, it goes well with a bit of Wiltshire Loaf too, but also blue cheeses. Try it with a Royal Bassett Blue – another blue cheese from Brinkworth Dairy.

At the other end of the county, the Poulton Hill estate is producing some exceptional white wines, such as their Phoenix, Arlington Hill, and a curiously named favourite, their Awkward Hill. It is dry, crisp and fruity, and perfect with a glass of Brinkworth Blue or alongside the creamy Baronet from the Old Cheese Room.

Celebrating Today the Swindon Way

So how should we mark National Cheese Lovers Day in Swindon? Here are some suggestions from someone who knows this area well:

Visit Roves Farm Shop – Just a short drive from town, this is the perfect opportunity to discover locally sourced cheeses and pick up everything you need for a proper celebration. The farm shop stocks an impressive range, and the knowledgeable team can guide you to something special.

Create a Wiltshire cheese board – Showcase our county's finest: a wedge of Brinkworth Blue, some Wiltshire Loaf for that historic touch, perhaps a piece of Lypiatt or Baronet. Add some local chutneys, artisan crackers, and you've got a celebration of Wiltshire on a plate.

Explore the countryside – One of the joys of living in Swindon is having easy access to the stunning Wiltshire countryside where these cheeses are made. Why not combine your cheese shopping with a drive through the beautiful villages and farms that make our county special?

Support local producers – When you buy from farm shops and local dairies, you're supporting an entire network of farmers, cheesemakers, and food producers who are keeping traditional skills alive. These businesses are the beating heart of our local food scene. It’s like any local business – if you don’t use them, you miss them when they’re gone.

So today, take a moment to appreciate what makes our corner of Wiltshire special. Whether you're discovering Wiltshire Loaf for the first time or returning to a beloved favourite, it's the perfect opportunity to celebrate not just cheese, but local cheese and local artisans and producers in general. And if you can’t find time today, don’t let that stop you – let it be the nudge you need to treat yourself to something special, made locally, with love.

Happy National Cheese Lovers Day, Swindon.