Sinodun Hill

Made in Shillingford, South Oxfordshire, Sinodun Hill is a flavoursome cheese with a light nutty edge and a mousse-like texture. Its rind seasonally develops some blue and grey moulds as it ages. These add to the flavour and character of the cheese.

The name Sinodun Hill is the ancient name of Wittenham Clumps. These hills can be seen from the Earth Trust Farm where the goats whose milk goes into this fabulous cheese graze. We also sell Brightwell Ash which is another goats’ cheese from the same dairy.

We visit the cheesemakers, Fraser and Rachel, every couple of weeks to collect fresh cheeses from their dairy. It’s lovely to get to hear their news and to meet their friendly goats! Fraser and Rachel began cheesemaking in 2014 having been inspired by an article they read about cheese whilst on holiday. It was a complete career change for them both, but it has proved to be a successful one. They applied to the Earth Farm Trust Charity which runs a scheme called Farm Step. This was designed to give new agricultural businesses by helping hand by leasing space on their land in Oxfordshire.

All of this meant that Fraser and Rachel were able to house their goats and set up their dairy all in one area. They have a herd of 130 goats which are predominantly Anglo Nubian (the cute goats with the floppy ears). These goats give a particularly creamy milk which is wonderful for cheesemaking.

The goats are milked each morning and their milk goes straight into the cheesemaking vat, this means that the cheesemaking process begins whilst the milk is still warm. The result is a beautifully creamy cheeses with the perfect balance of flavours.

Try pairing this cheese with a glass of Picpoul de Pinet, or simply on its own and let its deep flavours fill your mouth.