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The Westcombe Project
The Westcombe Project episodes
- The Westcombe Project - EMERGENCY PODCAST
EMERGENCY PODCAST
An all new chat with Tom Calver in which I hear first hand what it was like to be at the centre of the Cheddar Scam storm that enveloped British Cheese just a few weeks ago. We talk about the real impact of a crime like this and how in a very weird way it’s a compliment to Farmhouse Cheddar!
We also talk about the budget and specifically the changes to IHT that have formed the backbone of the recent farming protests in central London. This was recorded a couple of weeks ago and so the story has evolved a bit since we discussed it but ultimately it’s an issue that proving very divisive and one that I don’t think is dropping g out of the conversation any time soon.
We also talk briefly about lard, slurry and Alpine cheese…
As always thank you for listening to The Westcombe Project and please do rate and review on your favourite pod app.
Cheers.
PS some articles
here’s a cracking piece all about the cheddar scam and why high end food is finding its way onto the black market
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmz42pjpnjo.amp
an excellent analysis of the impact of the budget on farmers by James Rebanks
https://unherd.com/2024/11/a-farmers-revolt-is-coming/
The article in The Financial Times all about Lard
https://www.ft.com/content/47a70eb9-4a25-4209-aab6-3acc38e10b9b
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22 min - Return to Westcombe Episode 3Back at Westcombe Dairy and Tom gives Sam a tour of the farmyard. A lot has changed in 12 months with a new mill and bakery on site, a brand new brewery going in and the charcuterie changing and developing. In the background the cheddar is the back bone of the business, with all the new its important to focus on what made the Westcombe Project so fascinating - that search for a truly delicious cheese.
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22 min - Return to Westcombe Episode 2Sam is back at Westcombe and chatting to raymond about how the changes have affected the herd, I also hear from Raymond about his health. Suffice to say, herdsmen are a tough lot!
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26 min - Return to Westcombe Episode 1It's Summer 2023 and Sam is back down at Westcombe Dairy to find out what's changed in 12 months. It turns out plenty! In episode one of three, Sam heads into the fields to chat to Richard and Tom and catches up with The Westcombe Project.
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22 min - EPISODE TWELVE – THE FINAL VISIT
EPISODE TWELVE – THE FINAL VISIT
For this last episode of The Westcombe Project Sam heads to Westcombe Dairy to recap and reflect on everything he’s seen, heard and learnt on his visits here to Westcombe. We look back across the series and look forward to what the future holds for Westcombe Dairy...
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27 min - EPISODE ELEVEN – LANDRACE
EPISODE ELEVEN – LANDRACE
It's May 2002 and Westcombe is lush and green. The cows are out on pasture, but for this episode we head into Bath to Landrace Upstairs to discuss grain, herbs, flowers and the wider Westcombe family, with Andrew Lowkes, Mel Calver and Nick Millard.
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24 min - EPISODE TEN – MANAGING THE TRANSITION
EPISODE TEN – MANAGING THE TRANSITION
It’s out under blue skies in April 2022 as Sam returns to Westcombe and we discuss the realities of the new grazing systems. As the tracks start to go down at Manor Farm, it's not all plain sailing. Richard, Nick, Tom and Sam revisit Manor herdsman Raymond.
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27 min - EPISODE NINE – THE DIVERSITY OF FARMING
EPISODE NINE – THE DIVERSITY OF FARMING
With spring in the air, Sam joins Tom, Richard and Nick back on the farm to discuss the grazing paddocks, herbal leys and planting of fruit and nut trees. We also talk bio digesters, slurry, fuel prices, the role of the farmer as custodians of the land, and much more!
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31 min - EPISODE EIGHT – WESTCOMBE CHARCUTERIE
EPISODE EIGHT – WESTCOMBE CHARCUTERIE
February 2022, and we look beyond cheese to talk about Westcombe Charcuterie. Paul and Tom sit down with Sam to discuss recent adventures in charcuterie making, and all that encompasses. This one’s longer than usual, but there was a lot to talk about!
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39 min - EPISODE SEVEN – IN THE DAIRY, PART II
EPISODE SEVEN – IN THE DAIRY, PART II
It’s the depths of winter for Sam’s January visit, but its nice and warm in the dairy, with some physical cheddaring of the slabs to raise temperatures. Rob Howard discusses his instinctive cheesemaking approach, historical makes and the importance of lard.
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21 min
About The Westcombe Project
From the publisher's feed
In July 2021 I started an ambitious project to document a-year-in-the-life of Westcombe Dairy.
It was a timely partnership as it coincided with a big push at Westcombe Dairy to take…
their regenerative farming to the next level. It also became a great opportunity to stop and consider all the changes that they've brought about at the dairy in the past years, from pasture-led grazing to the development of their charcuterie and the work they've done on the farm to improve resilience and diversity.
I visited Westcombe once a month, focusing on a different aspect of what they do on each visit. Through the lens of Westcombe Dairy we are able to look at how dairy farming is changing here in the UK and how one cheesemaker is making changes on their farm in search of a more harmonious nature with nature and ultimately an even more delicious cheese.
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