Wensleydale Creamery has invested in its natural cheese smoking capabilities with the addition of a new cheese smoke house.

The Yorkshire Dale-based artisan cheesemaker made this significant investment to more than double its production.

It is based right in the heart of the region, with the facility located in Hawes.

The decision to expand comes on the heels of a surge in consumer demand for naturally smoked products.

Google Trends data paints a clear picture, revealing a 43 per cent surge in UK searches for 'smoked cheese' in the last quarter alone, with sales standing at a solid 5 per cent value growth.

The centuries-old method of naturally smoking cheese enhances flavour, as well as preserving the texture aThe Westmorland Gazette: The Yorkshire Dale-based artisan cheesemaker made this significant investment to more than doublend quality of the cheese.

The golden-brown rind that develops during this process showcases the results of this method.

Besides adding a rich smokiness, this method also serves as a natural preservation technique that bids goodbye to artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives.

The modern smoking technology embraced by Wensleydale Creamery allows the cheese enterprise to broaden its naturally smoked cheese range, introducing diverse smoked wood flavours such as oak, beech, and hickory.

All wood choices are FSC certified and sourced sustainably from managed woodlands.

 

Sandra Bell, marketing manager at The Wensleydale Creamery, said: "As consumers seek new flavours in their everyday shop, we've already started to see an increased interest and demand for natural smoked cheese which continues to grow in popularity.

"Our investment in the business' smoking capabilities marks a major milestone for us, and we're committed to innovating in this area.

"By more than doubling our smoking capacity, we hope to be able to grow our business further."

For more information about the Wensleydale Creamery, visit the official website via www.wensleydale.co.uk/.