From memories on the farm to wise words on life; John’s blogs are best enjoyed with your feet up and a cup of tea in hand. John Clothier began his cheesemaking career at the age of five; his mother Ivy bringing him to the dairy ‘to keep him out of trouble’. John has put his years of experience to good use, devoting his life to the family farm and business that his parents started in the early 20th century. John continues to help his sons Richard and Tom and nephews Rog and Dave run the business to this day.
As it’s summer now, or at least some days, this set me thinking about summers when I was young. Everyone knows they were much better back then, weren’t they? Summer meant haymaking time, which was always a very busy…
Going to the livestock markets with Dad and Jim from about five years old was my earliest recollection of my introduction to the business side of our farming and cheesemaking business. You may be thinking how on earth would that…
On the day I was born my elder sister Susan Mary was already 15 years old and about to leave Bruton School for girls to start two years practical work in our cheese dairy before taking on a Cheesemaking course…
Most of my school holidays were spent doing what I loved best which was being out in the fields with the farmhands. In those days the farmhands worked in groups as all of the work was much more hands on…
The day I was born my brother Jim was already thirteen years old. By the time I can properly remember him he was sixteen years old and was already an accomplished hand milker, tractor driver, general farm hand and Dads…
 in Wyke Champflower, the farm was quite small only consisting of 66 acres and 33 fields. As you can guess, there were many fields of…&p[title]=Tom’s Ten&p[images][0]=/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/26.jpg)