Goat and sheep milk cheeses sales growing fast

Sales of cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk have increased by 30% over the past year, according to Waitrose.

Comparing year on year percentage growth, the products are now selling faster than their cows’ milk counterparts; sales of which remain relatively static. Sales of the supermarket’s Fine Fettle Sheep’s milk cheese are up 900% year-on-year, while others have also seen an uplift, it said.

Sales of Waitrose Berkswell ewes milk cheese and Waitrose Hawes ewes milk Wensleydale were four-times higher than this time last year, while Welsh Organic Pant-ys-Gawn, made from goat’s milk, saw a 21% increase in sales over 2008.

We’re seeing a clear preference emerging where alternatives to cow’s milk products are now out selling the traditional favourites,” Waitrose’s Chloe Graves said.

“As well as being delicious and a bit different, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses are also thought to be suitable for people with a lactose intolerance. This could be more than a passing trend as consumers are increasingly receptive to a wider palate of tastes and becoming more adventurous.

“The good news for UK farmers is that many of our best selling cheeses are British so we can keep on supporting home grown produce,” she said.