His Majesty King Charles III has visited Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses to officially open the Lancashire family cheesemakers’ new cheese campus, which will nurture its cheese from beginning to end on the farm.
The official opening comes two years after a devastating fire at Butlers’ Longridge office and packing site in November 2023, where hundreds of tonnes of cheese stock were lost just six weeks before Christmas.
The fourth-generation family cheesemakers have rebuilt while continuing operations from their rural Lancashire dairy, supporting their people, maintaining milk supply and supplying customers across the UK with British hard, blue and soft farmhouse cheeses.
During the visit, The King met three generations of the family along with Butlers’ longest standing employee and Head Cheese Grader, Bill Yates, with 36 years of service, and Head Cheesemaker, Tim Fisher, with 35 years of service. Local suppliers from James Hall & Co and J Wareing & Son also shared their part in the campus build with The King, representing a number of local Lancashire businesses that were pivotal in bringing Butlers’ campus vision to life.
His Majesty began the visit with second-generation owner, Jean Butler (age 87), reviewing historical records and hearing stories from Butlers’ nearly century-long cheesemaking history. He then toured the campus with Gillian Hall (third-generation owner), Matthew Hall and Daniel Hall (fourth-generation owners) to take in each stage of Butlers’ farmhouse cheesemaking craft, from milk to maturation, grading, cutting and packing. His Majesty tasted Blacksticks Blue cheese with blackcurrant jam on a ginger biscuit, stating it as something that would be “great as a dessert.”
The King concluded his tour by unveiling a commemorative plaque in front of a select group of invited guests, including farmers, partners, suppliers, customers and staff who were integral to the post-fire rebuild, alongside the Chief Executive of Preston City Council, Adrian Phillips; the Mayor of Preston, Councillor Sue Whittam, accompanied by her Consort, Stephen Whittam; and the MP for Ribble Valley, Maya Ellis.
On his departure, The King commented on what “an exceptional family business” Butlers was.
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses campus has been specifically designed to pair modern technologies with traditional farmhouse cheesemaking techniques, protecting Butlers’ farmhouse craft while supporting the business’s long-term sustainability and growth.
Achieved predominantly with local Lancashire businesses, the build underlines Butlers’ ongoing commitment to supporting the rural Lancashire economy, drawing on best-in-class expertise to create one of the most advanced farmhouse cheesemaking operations of its kind in the UK.
Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, said: “This is a defining moment in our history. Rather than replacing what we lost in the fire, we have chosen to make a generational investment for the long-term.
“Our campus represents everything we stand for – respect for our craft, belief in the resilience of our people, and a long-term commitment to doing things the right way. To welcome His Majesty The King to officially open it is an incredibly proud moment for our family, team and the wider Lancashire community.”
The campus boasts a number of sustainability credentials and aims to reduce road traffic and food miles by approximately 50 per cent compared to operating across two sites. The build used rubble from the fire site to create connecting paths, and the campus includes a new, state-of-the-art Maturation Shed, uniquely designed to meet the individual needs of Butlers’ hard, blue and soft cheeses.
The campus will also unlock opportunities for skills development, training and careers across cheesemaking, operations and specialist roles such as data science and AI.
Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses has been hand crafting farmhouse cheese since 1932, using milk from the family herd and local farms within a 10-mile radius. Today, the business produces multi-award-winning speciality British hard, blue and soft cheeses made with cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk, supplying independents, national retailers and consumers across the UK directly from its online cheese store.
