Lucy Appleby facts for kids

Florence Lucy Appleby MBE (born Walley; 1 February 1920 – 24 April 2008) was a famous English cheesemaker. She created a special cheese called 'Mrs Appleby's Cheshire'. This cheese was unique because it used milk that wasn't pasteurised (heated to kill germs). It was also wrapped in cloth and aged on the farm, just like in old traditions. Lucy later helped start the Specialist Cheesemakers Association. This group worked to protect the use of unpasteurised milk in cheesemaking.

Early Life and Learning

Lucy Appleby was born Florence Lucy Walley on 1 February 1920. She grew up on Lighteach Farm in Whitchurch, Shropshire, where her family farmed and made cheese. She was one of eight children.

Lucy went to Whitchurch Girls School. Later, this school joined with Sir John Talbot’s School. She learned how to make cheese from her grandmother and mother. After that, she studied cheesemaking at Cheshire School of Agriculture. This college is now called Reaseheath College. There, she learned from Miss Bennion, who taught traditional cheesemaking.

Making Special Cheese

The Appleby family started their cheese company in 1952. They turned the stables at Hawkstone Abbey Farm into a dairy. Here, Lucy Appleby made her special Cheshire cheese. She used an old recipe and milk from their own Friesian cows. This milk was not pasteurised. The cheese was also wrapped in calico cloth.

Lucy wanted to bring back a type of cheese that was once very popular. In 1914, about 2,000 farms made this cheese. But by the time Lucy started, fewer than 50 farms still made it. By 2017, the Appleby family was the only one still making unpasteurised farmhouse Cheshire cheese regularly.

Lucy Appleby made choices that went against new trends. These choices helped keep her cheese special and high-quality.

Why Cloth Wrapping Was Important

When Lucy started making cheese, many cheesemakers began wrapping their cheeses in wax. This was to stop moisture loss and make more cheese. But Lucy did not agree with this. She believed that wrapping cheese in calico cloth let it "breathe." This helped the cheese develop better flavours. She even encouraged other cheesemakers to go back to using cloth.

Selling the Cheese Directly

At first, the Applebys sold their cheese through the Milk Marketing Board (MMB). But the MMB was not a good fit for their small, traditional way of making cheese. So, in 1982, they stopped working with the MMB. This meant they could sell their cheese under the family name for the first time.

To find new customers, the Applebys drove to London. They took a 20kg wheel of cheese with them. They showed it to top cheese sellers. This direct way of selling was a big success. Within five years, they were selling 1.5 tonnes of cheese every week.

Protecting Unpasteurised Milk Cheese

In the late 1980s, there were worries about food safety. Because of this, many supermarkets stopped selling cheese made with unpasteurised milk. Many cheesemakers felt they had to pasteurise their milk to keep selling to supermarkets. But Lucy Appleby did not change her method. She believed that good quality unpasteurised milk was key to the taste and texture of her cheese.

Lucy then helped start the Specialist Cheesemakers Association with Randolph Hodgson. This group worked to protect cheeses made with unpasteurised milk. They also encouraged excellent farmhouse cheesemaking.

Family Life

After college, Lucy met a farmer named Lancelot Appleby. They got married on 16 October 1940. Lucy even made cheese on her wedding day! They lived near Malpas, Cheshire, for two years. Then they moved to Lance's family farm, Hawkstone Abbey Farm. This farm was in North Shropshire, near the Cheshire Plain.

Over the next ten years, Lucy and Lance had seven children: Edward, Helen, John, Margaret, Rachel, Robert, and Ruth. After raising her children, Lucy went back to making cheese using her own recipe.

Lance Appleby passed away in 2003. Their son, Robert, died in 2002. Lucy Appleby died on 24 April 2008.

Awards and Recognition

In 2001, Lucy and Lance Appleby were both given MBEs. This award is for their great work in cheesemaking in Shropshire.