Wandering Ewe Dairy – North Somerset

Pippa and Hugh Stables run Wandering Ewe Dairy near Failand in north Somerset, producing an award-winning unpasteurised hard ewes’ milk cheese from their flock of Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW dairy sheep.

The cheese is hand made on the farm every second day for the duration of the milking season using traditional methods, before being matured for at least nine months. In 2022, Wandering Ewe won a silver medal at the Artisan Cheese Awards.

The flock of 75 dairy ewes are raised outdoors on species rich pasture of grasses, legumes, leaves and herbs using rotational management, grazing one section of pasture before being moved to fresh fields. This type of management allows grass to recover before the animals return to graze again; it also minimises the build-up of internal parasites, thereby avoiding reliance on chemical treatments. The sheep spend the whole milking season on pasture and are milked every second day in the field between May and September.

The sheep at Wandering Ewe Dairy are also Certified Grassfed by AGW, an optional, additional accreditation for farmers meeting Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW standards of production which offers assurance of high-welfare and a 100 percent grassfed feeding protocol. In addition to being Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Grassfed by AGW, the sheep at Wandering Ewe Dairy are also Certified Non-GMO by AGW, proving the livestock are managed without genetically engineered/modified feed, supplements or ingredients.

Pippa and Hugh also raise a small herd of Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW traditional breed pigs outdoors on pasture where they are free to root and forage as pigs naturally do. This high-welfare management is a fundamental component of AGW certification and is known to have environmental, nutritional and culinary benefits. They plan to use the high-welfare pork to create charcuterie products in the near future.

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Grassfed by AGW and Non-GMO by AGW dairy sheep’s cheese is available from a number of local independent retailers. Check the AGW directory for details. For more information about Wandering Ewe Dairy, contact info@wanderingewe.co.uk or visit www.wanderingewe.co.uk. Follow Wandering Ewe Dairy on Instagram.