Market Place: market life is 'udderly gorgeous'

May 18 2012 By Danny Wadmore, Chairman of A&C Markets

udderly gorgeous

Judith Hurrell of ‘Udderly Gorgeous Farmhouse Cheese’ got a taste for market life while helping on her sister’s bread stall in Amersham.

‘I loved getting to know the regulars and was happy to provide quality, locally-produced food that was healthy and good value.’

Within months Jude had branched out with stall of her own. As the wife of a speciality food buyer, she was lucky to be surrounded by delicious produce at home and soon developed a taste for British cheese.

‘There’s so much more to cheese than vac-packed blocks of supermarket cheddar. I knew Amersham was the perfect place to showcase the best of British cheese – the customers were interested in quality, local produce.’

‘I started developing a range of my favourite British farmhouse cheeses; all made with milk from single herds or flocks or a small number of dairies local to the cheesemaker. Many come from cheesemakers who own their own milk-producing animals and most of them are handmade on farms rather than by machines in factories.’

Jude usually has at least 20 cheeses available, including; Rosary Goats cheese – a creamy, cloud-like best-seller, the multi-award-winning Gorywdd Caerphilly, Berkswell – an unpasteurized East Friesian ewe’s milk cheese, Colston Bassett Stilton – from one of England’s smallest dairies and the strong yet creamy Lancashire Bomb which has been matured for 24 months and makes a striking dinner party centre piece.

‘Check out my ‘Udderly Gorgeous’ stall outside St Michael’s Church in Amersham every Tuesday. I vary my range weekly and take requests from customers – let me know if you have a favourite cheese and I’ll do my best to track it down – usually within a week.’