loveFOOD meets... Corrie star turned cheesemaker Sean Wilson
Actor Sean Wilson talks to loveFOOD about his new life as a cheesemaker in the Ribble Valley.
From Coronation Street to the rolling hills of Saddleworth, it’s a bit of a set change for Sean Wilson who now runs Saddleworth Cheese Company in Lancashire. And the actor-turned-cheesemaker is relishing every minute.
“I love Saddleworth. It’s a really eclectic part of Manchester,” Sean says. “You wouldn’t believe it was in Manchester, all rolling hills, drystone walls and no satellite villages.”
A traditional setting
There’s a reason why he chose the Ribble Valley in the Trough of Bowland. “This is where Lancashire cheese has traditionally been made,” he explains. “There are about 40 square miles of Lancashire cheesemakers. As far as I know, the dairy I use is the only one which makes cheese from its own herd.”
Provenance is important to Sean. “I chose the dairy for that reason. Provenance is important for lots of cheesemakers. If it isn’t, I’d take them to task over it!” Saddleworth uses traditional cutting techniques which keeps the character of the curd. Cheeses are then hand-waxed or branded, depending on size. Vegetarians can rest easy, as the company only use vegetarian rennets.
From Corrie actor to cheesemaker
So how did he learn the craft? His mentor was celebrated Lancashire cheesemaker Bob Kitching of Leagram Dairies. Bob passed away two years ago but his dairy still operates. “Bob was one of the last Lancashire cheesemakers who did almost everything by hand,” says Sean. “He understood the feel of the milk, the curd and the whey.”
“I learnt everything I could until it was time to do my own thing. I practised making cheese with two big pans – and Bob at the end of the phone,” Sean continues. “I entered a cheese into the British Cheese Awards and it won the Gold Medal. I was gobsmacked! Bob’s cheese came second and he put his arm around me and said, ‘We need new people in the game.’”
Seeking a change of career, Sean had been working in Michelin-starred restaurants, but realised an opportunity had arisen to follow a passion. “Everything came together. I ruled out opening my own dairy but Bob helped me find a farm with its own herd and I hired a floor in the dairy.”
And so began Saddleworth Cheese Co, which has produced cheeses such as Muldoon’s Picnic. Sean says that the playful names such as Muldoon’s Picnic, How’s Yer Father, Mouth Almighty and Smelly Ha’peth were inspired after looking in shops and thinking that cheese names were very boring. “I thought, 'surely we can do better than this?' We’re making local cheese and we have great Lancashire sayings so let’s use those.
“When parents come home to a messy house, they’d say, ‘What do you think this is? Muldoon’s Picnic?’ And as the cheese makes a mess on the cheeseboard, I thought it would be a good fit,” explains Sean. “With Mouth Almighty, if someone’s annoying you, it’s ‘Who do you think you are? Mouth almighty?’ It’s the strongest cheese, 12 months matured, so I liked that name.”
We skip the explanation for creamy How’s Yer Father and move onto Smelly Ha’peth. “A little boy is a ha’peth (halfpenny) so you might say ‘you silly, smelly or daft ha’peth’. So we went for Smelly Ha’peth for the blue cheese, the jewel in our crown. It’s been a World Cheese Award blue class winner for four years.”
Spreading cheese around the country
Getting the cheese into shops is the toughest challenge. “It’s a continual battle with distributors to get them to stock them. I say ‘I’ve got cheese with distinction and I have people tweeting, Facebooking and emailing me asking why they can’t find the cheese in such-and-such-a-store’,” says Sean.
Other challenges include the new short-cut techniques used by some cheesemakers. “There’s a culture called helveticus, used by Parmesan producers for hundreds of years to add nuttiness,” says Sean.
“It’s a quantum leap for some, as you get the same flavour in three months that would usually take 18. But in my opinion, when it comes to proper farmhouse cheese, never the twain will meet. Too many people are making their cheese choices on price. Flavour means nothing to some buyers and consumers.”
He’d like to get this message across to a wider public. “I’d love to bring the world of cheese to life. A lot of people tentatively walk to the cheese counter and don’t really know what to do. But it’s not difficult, just varied.”
The Great Northern Cookbook
Sean’s passion for cheese was demonstrated more widely by his television show and cookbook, both entitled The Great Northern Cookbook. “It was a fab show, really well-made. We had four weeks to make the series and three to write the book,” he recalls. “I feel tired thinking about it! But we did it. Someone from New Zealand tweeted me recently as the series is running there – he was struggling with Yorkshire puddings.”
What’s his favourite northern dish? “I love Lancashire pea and ham soup and my never-fail recipe for Yorkshire pud. When I see watch celeb chefs, I’m astounded at how complicated they make it.”
Sean says his abilities as an entertainer put him a step ahead of some other chefs. “We do gourmet nights where I turn up with my team and we create four fine dining courses. I also do a lot of cooking demonstrations, which I love. There are great chefs out there but they don’t all have the entertainment qualities for say an audience of 300 so that’s where I can inspire.”
It sounds like it’s going well? “It’s going and I’m enjoying it,” he says. “I just wish the distributors would wake up.” And smell the cheese…
Find out more about Saddleworth Cheese
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