On Sunday 19^th July myself and The Little Goatherd visited the lovely area of Chagford on the eastern side of Dartmoor for a course on cheesemaking.  Our hosts were Sylvan and Davon Friend at Chagfarm, (Chagford Community Farm CIC).

Over the course of 4 or 5 hours we were able to turn goats' milk into excellent halloumi and ricotta without needing a lot of fancy hardware or complex skills.  I can certainly say that this can be done in the kitchen at home.
 

It was a blisteringly hot day on a south facing slope.  Chagfarm was also hosting an open day at the time and, since cheesemaking involves periods of 'just waiting for things to happen', we were able to take the opportunity to look at the livestock of goats, pigs and chickens and at the detail of the dairying set-up.

Also on the same site is part of Chagfood, (Chagford Community Market Garden CIC) which supplies vegetables to the local community.  The productive rows of vegetables all maintained with horse drawn equipment were very impressive. 

We had a very informative day in beautiful surroundings with excellent company (and lots of bread and cheese at lunchtime).  I think it's true to say that these organisations and their members and workers are leading pioneers in the sphere of community supported agriculture, not just technically but also in marketing and distribution.  If you fancy an interesting day out then visit their websites for details of open days and courses.

(Images: Chagford Community Farm CIC, all rights reserved)