Meet Adrian. He's the latest addition to our small cheesemaking team here at Sharpham Dairy. No stranger to the mysteries of curds and whey, Adrian was born into cheesemaking and began when he was seven years old. We're delighted to have him on the team.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Good morning! I’m in at 6am, scrubbed like a surgeon. I tray up yesterday’s making ready for brining and then clinically wash everything ready for the day's make.
Once a week I get lost in the maturing rooms, turning the multiple stacks of cheeses so they ripen evenly. It's back in the make room then, where I’m part of the team forming the curds into the molds, shaping the cheeses. Then it's the big wash-up before the end of the day.
Are there any jobs which only you do?
I do get help in the storage rooms turning cheeses, but it’s mainly me.
How did you end up as a cheesemaker and why did you start to work at Sharpham?
I was born into cheesemaking and started when I was seven years old. I’ve done a few other bits and pieces like working with delicatessens, chocolate, bakery and wine - all food with minimum process.
I started at Sharpham Dairy in 2025, a year or so after supposedly retiring. The fact that Sharpham is a B Corp, and their move to the South Devon Food Hub, was too much not to ask Greg for any job going.
What do you think you’d be doing now if you weren’t a cheesemaker?
Affinage - I'd probably be ageing cheeses, and/or cured meats for specific customer requirements within a wholesale environment.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Golf is my go-to sport, then wine tasting and travel.
Any burning ambitions? Cheese related or otherwise.
Simply to be a part of the future and ongoing success of Sharpham Cheese.
Favourite Sharpham cheese?
There are three! Savour, Rushmore (both are a mix of cow and goat's milk) and Washbourne (ewe's milk). Three milks with intrinsically complex flavours.
Favourite place or view in Devon?
Brixham, a working town with huge history, large inward investment, and with the greatest community spirit.
Top tip for a visit in your area?
Do the ‘Brixham Fish Market Experience’. It's an eye opener to ‘living your career’, just like farmers.
Any other nuggets you’d like to share about cheese or Devon?
Whole milk, handmade cheese is considered a ‘slow food’ which means it’s most in tune with your digestive system or ‘biome’.
There are currently 36 drinking establishments in Brixham, takes a while but all worth a visit!
