Partnerships
Anne Wigmore
Village Maid cheese
Anne is recognised among the very best British artisan cheesemakers. She supplies us with her three award-winning cheeses – Spenwood, Waterloo and Wigmore – which she makes with her husband Andy, and her team, in the village of Riseley.
Anne learnt to make cheese at a dairy research institute and discovered a range of cheesemaking techniques while sailing around Europe in the 1980s. Most of all, she was inspired by the wonderful cheeses of Sardinia, made from ewe’s milk – particularly Pecorino Sardo. Her Spenwood is a similar style of cheese to this, while Waterloo and Wigmore are soft, white-rind cheeses, like French Brie.
The Guernsey milk for Anne’s cheese comes from Lacey’s Family Farm in High Wycombe. Her process has changed very little over the years – apart from switching from disposable cheesecloths to washable cheese matting, which reduces waste dramatically.
Anne recommends baking Baby Waterloo or Wigmore with a sprig of thyme in the opened rind, and serving them with drizzled honey and warm crusty bread. For the Spenwood, she suggests scattering shavings on salads – or melting it on thick toast, and serving with caramelised onion chutney. Delicious!
“"In over 30 years, hardly anything has changed in the way we make our three cheeses. Nothing has been automated, just improved. We’ve slowly increased production and taken on more staff to help with the workload. We’re constantly refining and tweaking the original recipes, to make improvements and keep continuity throughout the year with the changing milk over the seasons." ”
