Lye Cross Farm – Somerset, UK

The Alvis family has produced handmade cheeses since 1952 at Lye Cross Farm, located in the heart of the West Country in Somerset, United Kingdom. Situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the business has been a pioneer in sustainable cheese production for over 65 years and now is the first to produce Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) and Certified Grassfed by AGW cheese in the UK.

The company sources milk from AGW-certified dairy cows that are raised on pasture, not treated with routine antibiotics or hormones, and are fed a non-GMO, organic, 100% grass and pasture diet. Lye Cross Farm’s handcrafted Animal Welfare Approved (AWA), grassfed, Organic cheeses have a rich, buttery flavour and strong yellow colour, owing to the beta-carotene in the cows’ 100 percent grass diet.  An optional, additional accreditation to AWA’s high welfare standards, the Certified Grassfed by AGW label guarantees food products come from animals fed a 100% grass and forage diet, and are raised entirely outdoors on pasture or range.

While the Alvis family’s award-winning company is established in the UK market and exports to more than 40 countries, the new Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW cheese is an opportunity to meet new and emerging markets. “The team at Lye Cross Farm are proud to sit at the cutting edge of a long family tradition bringing fantastic cheeses to ever-more-knowledgeable eaters. We have known for generations that treating our animals and land well is crucial to the end product. While the quality of our cheese speaks for itself, we believe that when you make a claim, it should really mean something. That ethos led us to have our practices audited and certified, demonstrating that our cheeses are genuinely grassfed, Organic and high-welfare. We are delighted to work with A Greener World to honour our customers’ expectation of transparency and sustainability,” says Ben Hutchins, Sales and Marketing Director at Lye Cross Farm.

Lye Cross Farm’s farming practices are not only good for the animals, but also the wider environment. “Ensuring our milk is produced to the highest standards whilst maintaining a happy and healthy dairy herd and minimising any impact on the environment is fundamental to our farming practice and cheese production,” says Nick Green, Farm Operations Director at Lye Cross Farm. The cows are rotationally managed, grazing one section of pasture before being moved to fresh fields. This allows grass to recover before cows return to graze again; it also keeps the soil properly fertilised and minimises the build-up of internal parasites, thereby avoiding reliance on chemical treatments. “Our production system works in harmony with nature and has the highest environmental and animal standards.”

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW cheese from Lye Cross Farm is available in the UK and select export markets. For more information about Lye Cross Farm or to purchase, visit lyecrossfarm.co.uk or contact the farm at enquiries@lyecrossfarm.co.uk and +44 (0) 1934 864600. Follow the farm on Facebook and Twitter.