Meet Chris. An experienced cheesemaker, Chris is an indispensable member of the Sharpham team - and is first to arrive in the morning!
What does a typical day look like for you?
My day begins just after 5am in the dairy. Normally I'm the first one in. My first job is to make sure the milk has arrived and then to get all the vats ready for the day’s production.
Once the pasteuriser has warmed up and is ready to go, I start putting the milk through at about 5:50am. It can take around an hour and a half for the milk to all go through, and then I put the plant on to clean and finish around 8am-ish. I turn the pasteuriser off, do the paperwork and then I'm off to turn the Rustic cheese until the day’s cheese moulding starts around 9 am.
Depending on what day of the week it is, it'll be either Sharpham Brie or cow’s milk rustic or a goat’s cheese and we finish a 1000 litre vat.
Once we finish that we clean down after morning production and turn all the cheeses before we go for a break. I tend to finish around 12.30 to 1pm. So that's my normal day!
Any jobs that just you do at Sharpham?
I process the milk, and I also pick up milk from our Sharpham cows at Tavistock on Mondays.
How did you end up making as a cheesemaker?
I was helping my dad with milking when we had the Jersey cows here at Sharpham, and I was looking for some more work. The cheese dairy was looking for some weekend workers. So, they got me to learn the ropes and I started doing Sundays.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I’ve become a bit of an armchair sports watcher. I love watching Formula One and all football – my team is Liverpool FC. I also like going for walks, but don’t do as many of those now as my kids are teenagers and I’m their taxi service!
What do you think you’d be doing now if you weren’t a cheesemaker?
I would be either milking cows or getting up to mischief on a tractor I reckon.
Any burning ambitions? Cheese related or otherwise.
I’d like to travel across America one day.
Favourite Sharpham cheese?
My favourite Sharpham cheese is Rustic with Chives and Garlic
Favourite place in Devon?
I really like Salcombe, but be honest it's all pretty spectacular.
Top tip for somewhere to eat or visit in Devon?
That would have to be Salcombe again. Some great pubs to eat in. And to visit? You can't beat a walk on Dartmoor. It's impressive!
