About Knockdrinna Farm House Cheese

Knockdrinna Farmhouse Cheese have been making cheese since 2004 at our Farm in Stoneyford Co Kilkenny. Our first creations began in the Kitchen with some cow’s milk from a local farmer. We soon became fascinated with Goat’s cheese and sourced some milk from local farmers.  We began with making some soft fresh goats cheeses and soon progressed to experimenting with harder cheeses and also with trying to develop a natural rind cheeses. It took some time to get our cheese making techniques rights.   We had lots of   cracked rinds, funny looking cheeses, in fact I’d say we had the best fed foxes in any part of the country for those first few years.  We moved from our converted back kitchen to our small cheese dairy in 2005, and thankfully everything worked,  our curing rooms developed our distinctive range of bacteria which give our our lovely golden rinds.

In 2007, Knockdrinna Meadow, a ewe’s milk cheese was introduced to the range, as a response to customer demand for ewe’s cheese. This cheese is made from Milk sourced from Henry Clifton Brown of Crozier and has proved enormously popular.

In 2008 we took over the production of Lavistown cheese from Olivia `Goodwillie, the original maker. This well established cow’s milk Caerphilly style cheese again has held its place as many people’s old favourite, and is now well established under the Knockdrinna banner.

2009 brings us to some more new projects with the diversifation into whey fed pigs and other farm products, which we will sell directly from our farm shop. We are delighted with this development and it now gives us more opportunities to integrate our own farm activity with the cheese making enterprise.

In 2011 we have developed our new cheese called Kilree, a rind washed goats cheese, it has robust flavours coming from the rind washing with a smooth paste.

Awards for Knockdrinna Cheese

British Cheese Awards 2011

Knockdrinna Cheese named Supreme Champion for our

British Cheese Awards 2008

Knockdrinna is awarded the Gold & Best Irish at the British Cheese Awards 2008.

Farmhouse Cheese Maker of the Year 2008

Knockdrinna Cheese has been awarded the prestigious prize of “Farmhouse Cheese Maker of the Year 2007” at the International Cheese Awards held at the SHOP exhibition in Dublin. We scooped no less than three prizes at the show.A Gold Medal for its Knockdrinna Gold Goats Cheese, a second Gold Medal & Best New Cheesefor its Sheep’s milk cheese Knockdrinna Meadow and Silver Medal for its soft goats cheese,Knockdrinna Snow.

Knockdrinna News

• Supreme Champion at British Cheese Awards 2011
• Tea tasting evening at Knockdrinna Farm Cafe
• Kilkenny Woman Top At Food Oscars

New Opening Hours