How do you restore a much-loved cheese to its home town? Caerphilly

Welsh favourite returns 30 years after production was brought to a halt by European restrictions

CAERPHILLY cheese is being made in the town after which it is named once again almost three decades after production was killed off by fears over new EU rules.

Local factories stopped making the crumbly, white cheese in 1995 following concerns over new European legislation which made it illegal to take delivery of unpasteurised milk in metal churns.

Now, Huw Rowlands, 26, and Deian Thomas, 39, are reviving the tradition after spending three years perfecting their production method.

Although some companies still produce it in Wales, most caerphilly cheese is produced in Somerset and Wiltshire.

Mr Rowlands said: “We hope caerphilly can become as popular as cheddar. Caerphilly is known for its castle, Tommy Cooper and cheese, but at the moment we don’t have a cheese producer in Caerphilly.

“It is definitely a proud moment to bring the history of cheese production back after nearly three decades.”

He said part of the inspiration came from his father’s stories about his grandmother’s homemade caerphilly.

He added: “My grandmother used to make it when my dad was younger and they would always reminisce. Being able to add to that tradition is the best part.”

Mr Thomas and Mr Rowlands want their new company, Cwmni caws Caerffili (Caerphilly cheese company), to help “the regeneration of cheese” in the area.

The pair said that “understanding the science” behind making the cheese had been challenging and was much “more technical than people think”.

Caerphilly is a cow’s milk cheese and often has a mild taste with a “tang of lemon”. Mr Rowlands said: “Our cheese has a very special pale cream colour and it will also keep to the traditional quality and break down very easily.

“We are following the traditional protected status method for caerphilly cheese and we are also using a Welsh milk supplier.”

The cheese started being made on farms from around 1830 in the Caerphilly area and was popular with coalminers. They preferred it because of its thick rind which made it easy to transport and eat and the fact that it did not dry out below ground.

While the EU regulations that led to the production ceasing in the 1990s would not necessarily be an issue today, the company is using pasteurised milk to avoid any potential problems.

Caerphilly enthusiasts previously campaigned for EU protected status for the cheese. In 2018, it was granted Protected Geographical Indication for English and Welsh spellings, requiring Welsh milk to be used in any cheese labelled with the name.