At Yester, our business has changed dramatically as a result of Covid-19. We can’t thank you enough for supporting us. Buying our produce, whether online or at your local farm shop has kept us in business and protected the jobs of all those who work with us. Despite challenges in adapting to the “new normal”, we are loving all the new collaborations we have embarked upon since lockdown and hope these will continue long after lockdown ends.
Read on for our first free recipe and staff profile!
INTRODUCING OUR GUEST BAKER!
Lea Harris, Food Writer and Great British Bake Off Contestant, has had a love of food since her father taught her to cook jam tarts at their huge, battered kitchen table when she was four. Half a century later, that passion hasn’t waned; she loves every aspect of cooking, baking and eating – from sourcing local ingredients to trying the more unusual delicacies the world has to offer.
We’re delighted that Lea is indulging her love of quality ingredients with Yester Farm Dairies’ products to bring you a series of recipes using our products. This simple, two-ingredient Flatbread showcases the versatility of our delicious Greek Style Natural Yoghurt in a quick recipe that can complement almost any dish.
We’d love to see your creations using our products… don’t forget to tag us on social media! #yestoyester
GETTING TO KNOW US
Simon & Jackie are the couple behind Yester Farm Dairies so we thought we’d start our introductions with them! Simon and Jackie met, aged 11, at their small Grammar School in County Tyrone. Both hail from dairy farming families in Northern Ireland and Simon’s family moved to Scotland, settling in rural East Lothian nearly 30 years ago. In 2000, Jackie moved to Scotland and they eventually tied the knot …not exactly a whirlwind romance! They live on the McCreery family farm, Yester Mains, with their two kids, Sam and Marianne. They share the farm with Simon’s parents, brother, sister-in-law and their children.
Yester Farm Dairies was started when Simon returned to the farm after university. Frustrated by the tumultuous ups and downs of the dairy industry, having milk hauled across Scotland only to see it hauled back again and tired of being at the mercy of large processors, he began having some of the farm’s milk pasteurised and selling it direct under a Yester Farm label in 2003.
There were many challenges – not least that Jackie had a serious car accident the same month the business started – but immediately the people of East Lothian were keen to buy local and our market grew steadily. In 2007 they built a bottling plant on the farm and started buying all the farm’s milk, guaranteeing a fair and consistent price to the farm.
Two kids later, Jackie gave up her job as a solicitor to work full-time in the business alongside Simon and in 2015 they converted a shed on the farm into a Cheese Room. The sole focus of the business is now our range of artisan soft cheeses, cultured creams, yoghurts and mozzarella which we sell in Scottish branches of Morrisons and Sainsbury’s as well as in good farm shops and couriered direct to customers across the UK.
NEXT TIME… we are looking forward to showcasing new products, another recipe and introducing more of our team.