In The Family

In England, and in many, many other countries around the world, Cheddar holds a central place in our diet. It’s one of our favourite foods, one of the most familiar and also one that we’re introduced to at an early age. For many of us, it’s strongly associated with childhood, as a hot and cold sandwich, grated on vegetables or beans on toast, or eaten in fingers on its own.

For the Clothier family, who have been making Wyke Cheddar since (at least) 1861, the connection runs extra deep. Their ancestors have been farming in this part of Somerset for several centuries in an unbroken line, passing on a love of the countryside, dairy farming and cheesemaking that takes hold at a young age.

Like their parents before them, a new generation of Clothiers are taking their place in the family business. Katie and Lucie Clothier, daughters of our Managing Director Rich, have been with Wyke for three years now; Jack, son of Farm Director Dave Clothier, began working here part-time over 10 years ago. They told us about their childhood memories, following in their parents’ footsteps, and the appeal of working in the family business.

Katie remembers her father and grandfather John (former Wyke MD and later Chairman), taking her and her sister Lucie to the dairy at a very early age. “They would explain the full production process to us, and they also took us cheese-grading to show us what made a good block of Cheddar. Lucie was so small that they had to cut her production coat and roll up the sleeves so it would fit.” 

“It’s one of my earliest memories,” says Lucie, who was four at the time, “but it felt special to be part of something that was such a big part of our family tradition. Seeing the butter turning in the butter trolley was so satisfying, and I was fascinated by the butter-packing machine – it felt like watching magic happen as the blocks were wrapped and ready to go.”

For Katie, it was always the Cheddar. “The maturation process always intrigued me – how time and patience could transform the flavour. And I liked grading because it involved eating cheese! My Cheddar consumption has always been and still is very high. If I wasn’t eating beef and horseradish sandwiches, it would be Cheddar and pickle.” And, like any family, there was always lots of Cheddar at home, too: “It felt natural to love it,” says Lucie, “but there’s something about tasting something made with care and tradition that makes you proud, particularly when you see how much hard work has gone into it.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the dairy that was exciting for children: there was also a whole working farm to explore. Katie remembers this particularly fondly: “I loved cows,” she says, “so visiting them with Dad was something I really enjoyed. I’d go into work with Dad whenever I could and sit and draw pictures of cows. I loved it.”

For their cousin Jack, Wyke is all about the fields and the herds. “My first memories would be out on the farm,” he says. “Mum would take us out to see Dad on the mowers or harvester and we would have a picnic in the field, and at the end I would always go for a ride in the cab.” 

A lifetime of deep exposure has given him a deep understanding of all aspects of dairy-farming, from the land to the people. “I always find it fascinating how many steps are involved in making Cheddar and how many people devote their life to each step,” he explains. “From the farming – milking the cows, calving the cows, feeding the cows, growing the crops – to the production of the cheese itself and then the storage and packing.” 

As far as joining the business goes, Jack didn’t really have to think about it. “I love being on the farm with the cows, calves, tractors and nature,” he says, “so I was always interested in following in the footsteps of my father.” Katie and Lucie trained in accountancy and have both been on the staff for three years, as Inventory Manager and Assistant Management Accountant, respectively.

Of course, it’s not just their love of the location and the life that makes working at Wyke such a perfect fit for the Clothiers. There’s also the family side of it. As Katie puts it: “I love working with my dad and sister, and I think that’s what makes Wyke special for me.” More than familiarity, there’s a shared set of principles and standards, handed down through the generations and shared by everyone else who works at Wyke. In a changing world, it’s a rare thing. 

‍