It has been a busy year so far for Barry Graham from Orkney-based Burnside Cheese.
Not only has he been keeping up with demand for his own range of farmhouse cheeses, he’s also found time to bring back a popular range that fell out of production last year.
Local cheese lovers will fondly remember the Wilsons of Westray cheeses – Westray Wife, Noltland Castle, and Cannonball – all handmade in Orkney’s north isles by Jason and Nina Wilson. The delicious cheeses were much sought-after in the islands and further afield, but the duo decided to call it a day last spring with the last packets snapped up before the end of the summer.
When they began to sell off some of their cheese-making equipment, Barry jumped on the ferry to see if anything could be snapped up for use at Burnside. Little did he know that he’d return to the Orkney mainland with plans for a major business expansion too.
“I was really sad to hear Jason and Nina were going to stop making their Westray cheeses,” he says. “Having a choice of Orkney cheeses is a great thing, and the quality of their product was so good too. I went out to Westray for a look at some of the kit they were selling which I thought could help with my own range when Jason mentioned he would be happy for someone to take on their cheeses and keep them going.
“By the time I was ready to head home, I was thinking about bringing back a lot more than just some cheese-making equipment!”.
After taking some time to think it through and discuss it with his partner, Jenna, Barry decided to take the plunge – even though he wasn’t quite sure how he could make it work, or even where he would be able to house all the new machinery.
But expansion was always part of the plan, and this was an opportunity he just couldn’t turn down. “It made a lot of sense as it’s a different style of cheese, an Alpine style, which means I can offer something different to my existing range,” he says. “It also fits in nicely production-wise as it has a longer shelf life, which opens up options for exporting south in the future.”
After a few months of testing, and practice batches made under the watchful eye of Jason himself, two of the three Wilsons of Westray cheeses are now back on shelves across Orkney. Barry is concentrating on Noltland Castle cheese, now renamed and rebranded as Norseman, and the Cannonball cheese, which retains its previous name and unique shape.
“The Wilsons have been so helpful and I couldn’t have done it without their guidance and advice,” says Barry. “The challenge is now to try and make them as good as they used to be.”
It’s a challenge Barry is ready to face head on, despite space remaining an issue. His current cheese production facility is packed with the new equipment alongside his original kit, and fridge space is causing a headache too.
“I’d love a larger cold store so I can age the cheese a little bit, so I’m currently trying to figure out how to acquire more space for production and storage. Then I can hopefully look at bringing back the Westray Wife cheese too.”
Despite the focus on perfecting the Westray cheeses, fans of Barry’s Burnside range don’t need to worry as it’s business as usual as far as that’s concerned. He essentially makes it to order whereas the Westray products need time to develop before they hit the shelves, so there’s no crossover that limits the making of one over the other. Although he doesn’t plan to add to the Burnside range at the moment, he’ll still be able to meet the increasing demand for his signature cheeses.
So, for now, the focus is on settling down into a rhythm of production ahead of what’s expected to be a busy summer season.
“I’ll admit to being a little nervous about how it’s all going to work, but I’m very excited about it too,” says Barry. “The chance to take on the Wilsons of Westray recipes was too good to ignore, and I’m proud to be able to bring them back to add to the fantastic range of Orcadian cheeses available across the islands.”
You can find Burnside, Norseman, and Cannonball cheese locally in The Brig Larder, Bruce’s Stores, Kirkness & Gorie, Papdale Stores, and William Shearers in Kirkwall, Baikies Stores in Finstown, the Bayleaf Delicatessen in Stromness, and J. C. Tulloch and W.I. Rendall in Westray.
Visit the official Burnside Cheese website to find out more about Barry’s range of products.