Kate (our Baker-in-Chief) met Rob Bookham at Lewes Farmers Market several years ago, and the pair have been friends ever since. Rob runs Bookham Fine Foods, who were responsible for the first parmesan-style cheese produced in the UK — Twineham Grange Farmer’s Hand. Rob has been instrumental in establishing the growth in the creation of new cheeses in England, which is just one of the reasons we’re proud to work with him!

In making one of these new cheeses, Rob has joined forces with a dairy farming family R.Harrison & Sons based on Pallinghurst Farm at Rudgwick, West Sussex. Here the Harrisons farm a mixed breed herd of over 1,000 Holstein and Jersey cattle. They produce a superb quality milk and use it to create a mature hard cheese which they describe as a cross between a cheddar and a parmesan. In fact, it is this description that has given the cheese its' name — taking the CH from cheddar and ARME from parmesan to make Charmer!

The Sussex Charmer won the Best New Dairy product at the Nantwich Cheese Awards in 2008 - a huge achievement as the Nantwich awards are recognised as the pre-eminent cheese awards in the world.

The Charmer is creamy (like a good cheddar) but zingy (like a parmesan). This makes a rich and flavoursome cheese, which we just had to put in a biscuit! We mixed the Charmer with a tangy wholegrain mustard, and made the Sussex Farmer’s Biscuit. Try it with a pint of beer—the perfect combination (we’ll vouch for it!).