HERO CHEESE Golden Saye
Golden Saye
A new cheese from Village Maid from cheesemaker Jake Wigmore
GOLDEN SAYE
We caught up with Jake Wigmore, Director of Village Maid cheese about his new Guernsey-Milk Hard Cheese and this is what we learnt…
WHAT’S IN A NAME? THE STORY BEHIND “GOLDEN SAYE”
The name Golden Saye holds the keys to its identity.
“Golden” reflects the cheese’s rich yellow paste, the natural result of Guernsey milk’s high beta-carotene content.
“Saye” honours Stratfield Saye, where the Duke of Wellington’s pedigree Guernsey herd grazed in the late 1980s. This is where Jake’s Mum and Village Maid founder Anne Wigmore, first experimented with Guernsey milk cheesemaking. Those early experiments eventually led to the creation of Golden Saye.
The perfect condiment
This month we chose Filbert’s olives with lemon and oregano.
GROWING UP INSIDE A DAIRY
Golden Saye is also part of the story of cheesemaker Jake Harris, who grew up among the vats, racks and rhythms of Village Maid.
His parents moved to the dairy site in 1991 when he was six months old. The dairy and family life were intertwined from the beginning. By his teens he was working in the dairy; by holidays he was fully part of the team.
After university and a stint in digital advertising, Jake returned nine years ago. “It doesn’t feel like nine years,” he says. “More like a lifetime.”
VILLAGE MAID: THE DISCIPLINE OF SLOW CRAFT
Village Maid helped shape modern British artisan cheese. Wigmore, Waterloo, Spenwood and Barkham Blue appear on counters and menus nationwide.
Jake is committed to protecting that legacy. When the family took on Barkham Blue, they kept its original method and handwork intact. Cheesemaking is full of opportunities to optimise, but Jake is clear: sometimes you simply have to do it the way it’s supposed to be done. You have to go with the slow.
MILK WELFARE, AND THE INVISIBLE WORK BEHIND EVERY WHEEL
Golden Saye is built on long-standing milk relationships.
Village Maid sources cow’s milk from Lacey’s Farm near High Wycombe and Heckfield Park Farm, with sheep’s milk from Wayfield Farm near Stratford-upon-Avon and support from Sheep Milk UK in Coventry.
Milk quality is ensured through rigorous testing and close relationships with farmers. The real quality is found in conversations about feed, grazing and seasonal changes.
A CONFIDENT NEW CHAPTER FOR BRITISH CHEESE
Jake is optimistic about British cheesemaking. Makers are experimenting, chefs are placing cheese at the heart of dishes and customers want flavour tied to place, ethics and craft.
“For years it felt like all we had were territorials and Cheddars,” Jake says. “Now the variety is there. We’ve crossed that bridge.”
SO WHAT IS GOLDEN SAYE?
Golden Saye began with the principles of the Spenwood make but developed its own character.
Made entirely from Guernsey milk, it is a hard cheese with a natural rind, aged for almost four months. During maturation it is brushed and turned regularly, developing a rustic rind and a golden, expressive paste.
Jake sums it up in three words: Moreish. Toothsome. Molten.
HOW JAKE LIKES TO EAT IT
Jake prefers Golden Saye slightly cool, allowing the cheese to retain structure while still showcasing its soft richness. The texture is firm at first touch, then softens beautifully on the palate. The flavour blends savoury depth with buttery warmth and a subtle sweetness from Guernsey milk.
IF GOLDEN SAYE WERE A PERSON
Jake describes it as smooth and suave, hard on the outside but a softy inside. If it were a musician, it would be Mick Jagger: confident, iconic and full of character.
VILLAGE MAID IN THE WILD
Village Maid cheeses appear in thoughtful kitchens across the UK. Golden Saye is already finding its place among them, a cheese with enough presence to lead a dish.
A CHEESE THAT CARRIES A LEGACY FORWARD
Golden Saye continues Village Maid’s story, rooted in early experiments, shaped by craft and supported by decades of relationships with farmers, milk and time. It stands as the next chapter in a long, steady evolution.
Moreish. Toothsome. Molten.
HERE IS YOUR LINK TO THE LIVE TASTING
QUICKFIRE
TRCP: If Golden Saye could talk, what kind of personality would it have?
JAKE: Smooth, suave, a bit hard on the outside but soft on the inside.
TRCP: First cheese you ever loved?
JAKE: Parmesan.
TRCP: Favourite time of day in the make room?
JAKE: First thing in the morning, with the sun coming through, taking the TA and hearing the whey dripping off the tables.
TRCP: Most underrated British cheese (or style)?
JAKE: Proper Red Leicester – with a special fondness for Sparkenhoe’s.
TRCP: Raw milk or pasteurised – which tells the truest story?
JAKE: Raw.
TRCP: Dream collaboration, cheese or otherwise?
JAKE: Spenwood soaked in grape must that’s already been used for wine, then for a cider co-ferment.
TRCP: Tea, beer or wine with cheese?
JAKE: Coffee – especially a white coffee with Spenwood.
TRCP: Song (or music) that best suits a maturing room?
JAKE: Anything by Royal Blood or The Black Keys.
TRCP: If you weren’t a cheesemaker, what would you be doing?
JAKE: Playing in a band – guitar and vocals.
TRCP: Favourite non-cheese snack during a make?
JAKE: A digestive biscuit.
Describe Golden Saye in three words.
JAKE: Moorish, toothsome, molten.