Norfolk's Cheese Scene
When you think of Norfolk, it’s easy to picture endless skies, walks along the coast, or wild swims in rivers and broads. But tucked among the farmland and villages is a quieter story: Norfolk’s cheeses. Made by hand, often on small farms where animals graze just metres from the creamery, these cheeses speak of craft and a respect for the land. The county may not shout about its cheese in the way that some others do, but if you know where to look, Norfolk’s cheesemakers are creating flavours that rival those from the West Country and beyond.
Ferndale Farm - the home of the Norfolk Dapple
In the village of Little Barningham, Ferndale Farm has become synonymous with Norfolk cheese. Their most famous creation, Norfolk Dapple, is a hard cow’s milk cheese with a distinctive dappled rind that gives it its name. Unpasteurised and cloth-bound, it’s rich, nutty and slightly earthy, the sort of cheese that anchors a cheeseboard. Ferndale also experiment with playful variations: a smoked Dapple, a Ruby Dapple marbled with port, and a Tawny version washed in strong Norfolk ale. Each cheese feels rooted in place, reflecting both tradition and innovation.
Mrs Temple’s Cheeses
Close to the Holkham Estate in Wighton, Mrs Temple’s Cheeses have become a fixture of Norfolk’s food culture. Perhaps best known is Binham Blue, a creamy, approachable blue that manages to balance strength with subtlety. For anyone who’s been wary of blue cheese, Binham is often the one that wins them over. Their range goes much further, though, with cheeses like Walsingham, Wells Alpine and Copys Cloud - each with its own story and texture, reflecting the pastures around Wighton where the milk is produced.
Fielding Cottage and the Goat Shed
Cow’s milk dominates many of Norfolk’s cheeses, but Fielding Cottage brings a different perspective. Their herd of goats produces the milk for a range of cheeses that feel distinctly lighter and fresher. Wensum White, a soft Brie-style cheese, is their star, creamy, clean and endlessly versatile. It’s the kind of cheese that works equally well on a cheeseboard, as part of a sandwich or tucked into a summer salad. Visiting the Goat Shed farm shop in Honingham is an experience in itself: a chance to see where the milk comes from, taste the cheese at its freshest, and meet the goats.
Norfolk White Lady
Norfolk White Lady is something special. Made with ewe’s milk, it’s a soft, bloomy-rind cheese, rich and buttery with a depth that lingers on the palate. Sheep’s milk brings a luxurious quality, a little more intensity than cow or goat’s milk, and it makes White Lady stand out on any cheeseboard. Originally created by Jane Murray and now in the hands of Becky Enefer at Wilton Farm, it has become a quietly iconic Norfolk cheese.
Fen Farm Dairy and Baron Bigod
Strictly speaking, Fen Farm Dairy sits just over the border in Suffolk, but their Baron Bigod has found a natural home in Norfolk’s cheese scene. A Brie-style cheese made from raw cow’s milk, it’s creamy and decadent, with a flavour that rivals the great French Bries. You’ll often find it in Norfolk’s delis and markets, and it feels right at home here. In many ways it embodies what defines this corner of England’s food culture: small scale, beautifully made, and deeply connected to the land it comes from.
Pairing Norfolk Cheese
Pairing Norfolk cheeses is part of the pleasure. Norfolk Dapple, with its nutty, savoury notes, works beautifully alongside crisp crackers and fresh local apples. Binham Blue, creamy and tangy, finds a perfect companion in something sweet - think Richard Bainbridge’s quince jelly or a drizzle of Leigh's Bees Wildflower honey. Soft cheeses like Wensum White and Norfolk White Lady pair effortlessly with a glass of dry local cider. And for Brie-style cheeses like Baron Bigod, they’re irresistible with crusty bread, figs, or a spoonful of Norfolk-made chutney. The combinations are endless, and each brings out the cheese’s unique personality.
Why Norfolk Cheese Matters
Cheese in Norfolk is more than food, it’s a story of land, animals and people. When you choose Norfolk cheese, you’re choosing to support these craftspeople and the places they belong to. You’re also discovering flavours that are rooted in place, distinct from anywhere else.
A weekend market in Holt or Burnham Market, a farm shop detour on the way to the coast, or a carefully packed parcel from a deli, all offer a chance to bring a taste of Norfolk home. Put together a board of Dapple, Binham Blue, White Lady and Wensum White and you’ll find yourself tasting the county’s cheese-based diversity in just a few bites.