By Porter Lang
Crumbly, creamy-white and tied to a place. The Yorkshire Wensleydale name belongs, in law, to a small area around Hawes, and the history of why is a story of rescue.
The monks
Wikipedia says French Cistercian monks from the Roquefort region settled in northern England and first made the cheese using sheep’s milk. It says they first built a monastery at Fors and later moved to Jervaulx in Lower Wensleydale. A Yorkshire blog by Tim Barber says Wensleydale cheese has been made in the Dale since 1150, that Cistercian monks from France founded a monastery just outside Hawes and brought their cheese recipe, and that they later moved to Jervaulx after sharing the recipe with local farmers’ wives. The two accounts agree on the monks and the move. They differ on the founding place. Wikipedia names Fors and the blog says just outside Hawes, and neither is a primary record. We have not checked the 1150 date.
Farmhouse years
The blog says farmhouse production continued locally for about 700 years.
The creamery
Wikipedia says the first creamery to make Wensleydale commercially opened in Hawes in 1897. The blog says a corn merchant, Edward Chapman, began large-scale production at a creamery that year, buying milk from local farms. We name the merchant because the blog does, and because he is a historical figure.
The 1930s
The blog says the creamery faced closure during the Depression, and that a local farmer, Kit Calvert, called a meeting at the Town Hall and the dairy was rescued. We have no second source for this account. We name him because the blog does and he is a historical figure.
The war years
The blog says production was halted in the Second World War, when the government required a standard cheddar-type cheese, and that small-scale production resumed in the early 1950s.
The 1990s
The blog says that in 1992 a dairy company closed the Hawes creamery and moved production to Lancashire, and that staff then staged a management buyout later that year, and cheesemaking returned to Hawes. We have no second source.
The protected name
The sources disagree on the date. Wikipedia says Protected Geographical Indication status was awarded in 2013. The blog says it came in 2014. A trade-press article on the award gives no exact date and says the European Commission announced it in time for the Christmas cheeseboard season. We show both years.
The trade-press article says the cheese must be made to a traditional recipe, and describes a creamy-white colour and a firm but forgiving flaky open-textured appearance. It says it is softer, creamier and less acidic than other Wensleydales made elsewhere. It says production must take place within a clearly defined region around Hawes. Wikipedia says the name “Yorkshire Wensleydale” may only be used for cheese made in Wensleydale. The two descriptions of the area differ: one says around Hawes, the other says in Wensleydale. We do not choose.
The taste
Wikipedia calls it a medium cheese, soft yet crumbly, with a slight honey aroma, and says it pairs well with sweet foods such as apples and is often served with cranberries. The blog credits its creamy, crumbly taste to its starter cultures, local Dales milk, a traditional recipe and generations of expertise. It lists smoked, ginger, pineapple, garlic and onion, and cranberry varieties. We note that these are flavoured versions and have not checked which fall within the protected name.
The film effect
Wikipedia says an animated film franchise revived the cheese’s popularity, that the lead character names it as a favourite in a 1995 short and that sales rose 23 per cent after a 2005 feature. We have no second source for the figure.
Dates in order
The sources give these dates. The year 1150, for cheese in the Dale, according to the blog. The year 1897, for the Hawes creamery, in both sources. The 1930s, for the Depression rescue, according to the blog. The war years, for halted production, and the early 1950s for its return, according to the blog. The year 1992, for the closure and buyout. The year 1995, for the film short, and 2005, for the sales rise, according to Wikipedia. The year 2013 or 2014, for the protected name. Only 1897 is given by two sources.
Two accounts side by side
Wikipedia is stronger on the cheese: the monks, the sheep’s milk, the protected name and the taste. The blog is stronger on the creamery: the merchant, the rescue, the war and the buyout. They meet on the monks, the move to Jervaulx and 1897. The overlap is small, and most of the creamery story rests on one blog.
What we left out
We left out the name of the current producer’s managing director, which the trade-press article gives, and the names of any other producers.
What kind of sources these are
Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited reference work. The blog is a personal Yorkshire blog by one author, and we found no sources listed for its dates. The trade-press article is short and tied to an announcement. None is a dairy historian’s account.
What the sources do not say
None says how much Yorkshire Wensleydale is made now, how many makers use the name, or how the cheese is made step by step. We have not filled those gaps. We left out all prices, tours and shops.
What it means for a buyer
Our view is that the name is the clue. Ask whether a cheese is sold as Yorkshire Wensleydale, since the sources say that name is protected and tied to the Hawes area, or as plain Wensleydale, which Wikipedia says is mostly made in large commercial creameries across the country. The two are not the same product.
Where sources differ, we show each: the founding place of the monks, the year of the protected name and the area it covers. We list them in the check file.
Roam first. Shop later.