• APR / MAY 2021
PEXTENEMENT FARM 57
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Sunset over Pextenement Farm
of a trade to fall back on , just as their uncle had become a cabinet maker . Sandra worked for the Halifax for 19 years until 1999 and Alan became an apprentice electrician before going self-employed .
‘ Our granddad Garnet Sutcliffe came here in 1924 as a tenant farmer . Dad and uncle Norman were both born here . The farm was bought in the late 1950s and was run as N & R Sutcliffe , with Higher East Lee Farm bought in the 1960s . Dad died three years ago but our mum Christine lives at Higher East Lee where we milk the cows .’
‘ Dad and Norman also used to keep hens for eggs and had around 40 breeding sows , which they gave up when the bottom fell out of the market .’
The first signs of Pextenement Cheese Company came about when Sandra and her partner Carl were holidaying in Devon .
‘ Carl had become fed up with his job ,’ said Sandra . ‘ He and I visited Buckfastleigh Abbey where he bought a book about making cheese . He was interested in the science of it and had a first go , which brought about some horrible things , but then booked himself on a course at Reaseheath College and the woman taking it happened to be the author of the book he ’ d bought !’
‘ Uncle Norman offered what had been the old dairy at Pextenement that we converted into our cheese workshop and the first proper cheese Carl made was East Lee Soft Old English
Justine making a friend
Cheese . It has all just built from there – organically !’
In the course of cleaning out what had been the old dairy they came across a recipe written by Alan and Sandra ’ s grandmother ’ s sister Annie Williamson .
‘ It was a real find ,’ said Sandra . ‘ Carl had pretty much made the same cheese as Annie who had emigrated to Canada over sixty years ago . It ’ s a soft cheese , like a Brie or Camembert .’
Alan and Justine have two daughters and a son – twins Tom and Tilly , and Hannah . Whether one or any of them will continue the family ’ s farming history at Pextenement is a matter for perhaps the second century !
H Fletcher & E J Mitchell is an appointed representative of The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited ( No . 111982 ). And an introducer to NFU Mutual Select Investments Limited , a member of the NFU Mutual group of companies .