The Courtyard Dairy, Settle

Specialist cheese shop and cheese maturer

The Courtyard Dairy is a truly special cheese shop. This tiny shop is based just off the A65, outside Settle. Housed in an thick walled, old Yorkshire Dales barn it is a cool and humid shop where cheeses are piled high; perfect for ageing cheese.

Owned by Andy and Kathy Swinscoe, who have a background working for some of Europe\’s finest cheesemongers and affineurs (from London to Lyon), The Courtyard Dairy’s ethos is to only sell and champion truly special cheese.

Only stocking 30 selected cheeses, all the cheese are made very traditionally on farms, most are unpasteurised. They are all hand-selected and chosen at the farm before being aged to perfection in this temperature controlled shop.

It has already become a renowned destination shop, as regulars and visitors have the opportunity to sample and purchase some of the finest cheese to be found in Europe, whilst benefiting from Andy and Kathy’s comprehensive and entertaining cheese knowledge.

The excellence of this shop dedicated to championing and keeping alive farmhouse cheese has not gone unnoticed: winners of Best New Cheese Shop (British Cheese Awards 2013), Cheesemonger of the Year (World Cheese Awards 2013) and runner’s up in BBC Food and Farming Awards ‘Best Food Retailer’ and Yorkshire Life’s Best Food Destination.

If only this cheese shop was at the bottom of my street … everything in it as good as it can get” – Charles Campion, Food Critic.

\”I\’ve rarely been to a cheese shop where all the cheeses are as good as this\” – Fiona Beckett, Food Writer.