Our Christmas orders are now closed. You can still buy our Cheese Subscriptions to start in January, as well as book our courses and tasting events. If you want to purchase vouchers you can do so until the 20th December but please note that it can take up to 48 hours for the vouchers to be emailed to you as we process these manually.
We have a full counter of cheese in our shop in Pangbourne so you can still come in and purchase items in store
Price range: £3.80 through £38.00
Isle of Mull Cheddar is more than just a cheese. It’s a slice of Scottish island life. Made from raw milk on a windswept farm, matured in cloth for extra depth, and with that special whisky connection, it’s a world away from anything mass-produced.
Isle of Mull Cheddar is one of those cheeses that always gets people talking in the shop. It’s made the old-fashioned way on the Isle of Mull, off Scotland’s west coast, using unpasteurised cow’s milk. Each wheel is cloth-bound by hand and left to mature for at least 14 months, sometimes even longer, which gives it that wonderful depth of flavour.
The Reade family make it at Sgriob-ruadh Farm, just outside Tobermory. This is a world away from the block cheddars you find in the supermarket. You can really taste the wild pastures and the unpredictable Scottish weather in every bite.
Cheddar might have started life centuries ago in Somerset, but Isle of Mull Cheddar is unmistakably Scottish. It’s the result of one family’s dream to make brilliant cheese in one of the wildest corners of the UK.
Back in 1979, Jeff and Chris Reade packed up their cheddar-making know-how in Somerset and moved all the way to Sgriob-ruadh, a remote and windswept farm on Mull. They started out with just a few cows and a lot of determination, slowly bringing the old farm back to life and making their first cheeses in the early 80s.
The farm is just up the road from the Tobermory whisky distillery, so the cows get to munch on the leftover grain husks from whisky-making (known as draff). It’s a clever bit of recycling and gives the milk and the cheese a subtle, malty twist you won’t find anywhere else.
These days, the next generation of the Reade family are still at the helm, keeping all those traditional methods alive.
Isle of Mull Cheddar is not shy; it’s rich, bold, and full of character. The paste is a pale ivory and just the right amount of crumbly. If you give it a sniff, you’ll pick up grassy, herbal notes and a gentle hint of malt from those whisky grains.
The first bite is always a treat; dense and crumbly at the same time. You get a burst of fruity, yeasty flavours (thanks to the draff), which soon give way to savoury, rich notes. Some people even say it tastes a bit boozy or malty, which always makes me smile.
This is definitely not a mild-mannered cheese. It’s bold and complex, and the flavours just keep developing as it sits on your tongue.
Jen’s note: Isle of Mull Cheddar made a cameo in the HBO series Succession. It popped up as a standout cheese in the kitchen; chosen by the show’s creators to look like something a real cheese lover would have at home. So it’s not just a favourite with cheese fans; it’s a bit of a pop culture star too, and a real symbol of proper, artisanal cheesemaking.
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, starter cultures, rennet
Normal opening Monday – Saturday 9am – 4pm until:
Sunday 22nd 9am – 4pm
Monday 23rd 9am – 4pm
Christmas Eve 9am – 12pm
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day Closed
Friday 27th Closed
Saturday 28th 9am – 4pm
Sunday 29th Closed
Monday 30th 9am – 2pm
Tuesday 31st 9am – 2pm
New Year’s Day Closed
Thursday 2nd January Closed
Friday 3rd 9am – 4pm then open as normal
After Christmas our courier delivery slots start from 8th January.
