Simon says …goodbye to cheese
THE man behind the popular Weardale Cheese company is hanging up his whites and stirring the
curds and whey for the last time.
Simon Raine from Hamsterley who made his cheeses at Harperley POW Camp is closing down the
business after a very enjoyable ten years. Originally inspired by his dad, Ken, who worked for the
Milk Marketing Board and the National Dairy Council, the company was born in 2015 with the launch
of his first cheese, St Cuthbert, at the St Cuthbert’s Day Fair at Durham Cathedral.
It was the start of a whirlwind decade of cheese-making and selling at farmer’s markets, fairs and
events around the region in addition to supplying many farm shops and retail outlets. It was an
arduous task with him churning out over 100kg a week, using up to 1000 litres of milk from David
Walker at High Woodifield West. Even after David came out of milk, he still collected the whey, for
which Simon was very grateful.
It was mainly a solitary working environment but he always pays tribute to his wife, Julie, ‘she
cleaned up after all the mess I made’ and his three – now adult – children for their help and support,
especially manning stalls at events and encouraging his passion.
“After gaining a degree in Economics and Economic History, I spent my first working years at
Northern Dairies before spending 20 years as the Managing Director of a company in York
responsible for distributing telephone directories, ” said Simon. “With the advent of the digital age,
the bottom dropped out of that market and I decided to return to my roots and become a cheese-
maker.”
And so the adventure began with him producing many varieties of cheese – Weardale, a
traditional white, northern dales cheese; Prince Bishop – a blue version of Weardale; • St Cuthbert –
lightly blued, semi-soft; • Brie de Weardale – semi-soft and mould ripened;• Bonny Moor Hen – a
smoked version of Weardale, named after the Dale’s description of the red grouse; • Weardale
Nettle – the original Weardale cheese, but with dried nettles added;• Pimenton: Spanish-inspired,
with smoked paprika and chili flakes, following a request from a local chef.
A typical cheese making day lasted over 12 hours and for a lot of the year, it was a 7 days a week
occupation, not that he is complaining, ‘farmer’s do that for a lifetime!’ In addition to the making,
delivering and selling, Simon hosted Cheese and Wine events on the Weardale Railway and regularly
gave talks to local Women’s Institutes. ‘I’m just off to see my girls’ was his usual departing message
to Julie. His very first WI talk was at Westgate Village Hall and when he tentatively asked, ‘Has
anyone here ever made cheese?’, a hand shot up from 93 year old Elsie, ‘Yes, ME! And me mother
before that and me grandmother before that! ‘Oh no’, he thought, ‘this is going to be a nightmare’
but it wasn’t and over 60 talks later, it remains a very happy memory.
Simon is grateful to Weardale for allowing an outsider (he is from Hamsterley after all!) to name his
company after the dale and for all the loyal customers who bought either at fairs or from
Chatterbox, Woodhalls, Peggotty’s or Bradley Burn over the years. His first ever retail customer was
Cameron at Chatterbox, looking resplendent in his cravat as he boomed at Simon, ‘Yes! I’ll take
them, I don’t care how bad they are, they say Weardale on them!’
Attending Wolsingham and Stanhope Shows were a highlight of the year and he has a special
mention for Weardale Show at Chapel, ‘just about the perfect agricultural show’.
Wherever he is, his loud laugh can be heard and there is nearly always a smile on his face. His
attendance at the regular events will be very sorely missed along with his cheeses.
Despite his retirement, he would love to see the cheese-making continue in the area so if anyone
is interested in starting a new career, Simon can be contacted at
although he is keen to point out, the premises at the POW Camp is not available.
