Man builds cheese factory in back garden

A man who started making cheese as a hobby five years ago has launched his own business, building a mini factory by hand in his garden.

Matthew Lloyd, from Gobowen, near Oswestry, runs The Rennett Works, which has just cleared the requisite hygiene checks by Shropshire Council.

He hopes his products will soon be sold in delis and shops across the county.

"Out of a humble thing like milk, you see an absolute spectrum of what can be done with it," he told BBC Radio Shropshire, adding cheese-making had begun to take over his life.

His passion started when a family member bought him a small cheese-making kit, and he began self-teaching.

As well as making traditional flavours, Mr Lloyd experiments with incorporating chocolate and sweets into his products.

“I make a wide variety of cheese," he said.

"I've got various awards for some of my smoked cheeses, my halloumi-style cheeses, but I’m very much into the experimental side of it as well.

"I really got into the science of it all... it's kind of taken over my life slightly."

Mr Lloyd's awards include gold and bronze at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards.

He was also recognised by the Academy of Cheese, and won a grant to be formally trained.

"I really really have found something which is totally away from what I do for a living…I’m a business consultant," he explained.

"I really see it as something which I come home to."

He added that he hoped to put Shropshire on the map for cheese making as not many other people did it in the county.

"It’s very lonely in terms of cheese-making," he said.

"I'm really, really pleased at where I am and where it's all going, really. Who knows what next year's going to bring?"

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