Crackers about cheese? The Wensleydale Creamery unveils its new attraction in Hawes, Yorkshire this summer.
The Wensleydale Creamery has invested £5 million in its creamery and visitor centre.
Around 250,000 people visit the Yorkshire cheese-makers each year. Now the new visitor experience has been completed, the company hopes to attract even more guests.
The new attraction includes a variety of interactive activities and events. A viewing gallery allows visitors to watch cheese-makers handcrafting cheeses. Touch screens display the entire cheese-making process, including behind the scenes footage.
Visitors can learn how the cranberries are put into Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese; what makes blue cheese turn blue; and how miniature cheeses become coated in wax.
Talks and tastings add to the experience. Meanwhile daily cheese-making demonstrations show how eight pints of milk transforms into a 500g cheese – all in just 40 minutes.
A range of interactive games and activities are aimed at younger visitors. Plus, of course, there is a Wallace and Gromit area.
“As we celebrate the completion of a significant investment in both our visitor centre and our Creamery, we look forward to welcoming visitors throughout the summer,” says David Hartley, Managing Director of The Wensleydale Creamery.
“Promising a fun day out, with lots to see and do for all the family, visitors can delight in a true taste of Yorkshire, discover the world of cheese-making and whet their appetite with our award-winning range of cheeses.”
There is also a large refrigerated room, offering unlimited samples of over 20 varieties of cheese.
The first creamery was built in Hawes in 1897. Since then the creamery has experienced a series of ups and downs, culminating in a management buyout in 1992. A new Creamery opened in 2015. The company now has a turnover of £27million and employs over 200 staff. It contributes around £12 million to the local economy.
