Peak District cheesemaker lines up among Europe's best at Paris industry showcase

Representatives from Hartington Creamery were honoured to be invited to exhibit at the prestigious Salon du Fromage in Paris, February 25-27, as it is has an international reputation as the sector's leading show.

The event attracts an estimated 8,000 professionals looking for new products, suppliers and networking opportunities, with more than 290 exhibitors coming from 15 countries.

Hartington owner Robert Gosling was among them, extolling the virtues of the brand’s traditional Stilton, distinctive Dovedale blue and recently acquired Fowlers Sage Derby.

He said: “The show was a resounding success not just for us as a small cheesemaker but for giving us a platform recognising the true quality of artisan-made British cheese.

“I was truly amazed by how far buyers had travelled from Vietnam, Perth and even Leeds.”

Robert was invited to attend the show by Hartington’s partner and distributor, FROMI, which handles all the exports to the French and German markets.

With Hartington working to retool the business after going through administration and a pre-pack sale in 2023, the big question was whether Derbyshire’s craft can stand up to the scrutiny of the continent’s connoisseurs but Robert returned home full of confidence.

He said: “If I base my answer on the rapidly increasing sales of our cheese to France and the feedback from the show, it is a resounding yes: they love it.

“The French consumers eat more blue cheese than the UK, and they like their blue cheese with a stronger flavour for which our Stilton is perfect for their weekly shop rather than just for Christmas.”

Hartington Creamery was founded by the 7th Duke of Devonshire in 1870 to assist tenant farmers in using their excess milk, and has been making blue and white Stilton since 1900.

Based on Pikehall Farm since 2012, the age-old tradition of making Derbyshire Stilton using the same artisan techniques continues, with Hartington being the only remaining Stilton maker using local Derbyshire milk and processing their cheese by hand.

To learn more about the company and order its products, go to hartingtoncreamery.co.uk.

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