Meet our Members – Cryer and Stott

*Cryer and Stott Cheesemongers, Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire*
Cryer and Stott was bought in 1998 as a 9ft x 9ft unit in Wakefield market by husband and wife team Richard and Clare Holmes. Originally selling basic provisions Richard and Clare used their passion for food to develop the cheese side of the business and have since expanded to include three further retail outlets in Castleford, Pontefract and Allerton Bywater as well as a successful wholesale business.
Cryer and Stott’s well stocked cheese stalls are also a familiar site at regular farmers markets around West Yorkshire and food festivals across the region.

*!Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb*
Following a tour of Yorkshire’s creameries in 2000, a passing comment made by Richard in a radio Leeds interview influenced Cryer and Stott to take a new and exciting path.
When asked what cheese would best celebrate Cryer and Stott’s home turf of West Yorkshire, he answered “A cheese made with Rhubarb” The Wakefield Express printed the news that Cryer and Stott were making a rhubarb cheese and when their market stall next opened for business there was a queue round the corner of rhubarb lovers all asking for the cheese.
With the demand already there Richard and Clare could see it was an opportunity not be missed and quickly set to work finding a creamery to help them create the cheese. That help came from another deliciouslyorkshire member, Judy Bell at Shepherd’s purse who’s experience of making cheese with ewes milk helped Cryer and Stott create their luxurious Ruby Gold.
From the off they knew Ruby Gold would be a hit when the first batch of 360 cheeses sold out in just 3 days.
Several years on Ruby Gold is still going strong and Cryer and Stott have also added a Rhuby Crumble cheese to their range.

*!Going for Gold*
In summer 2012 Cryer and Stott supplied over 12 tonnes of cheese to the Olympic park, which included a special Olympic themed cheese called Legacy. Throughout the games over half an million servings of cheese were tucked into by Olympians, spectators and 9 members of royal family

*Samuel Valentine!*
The Samuel Valentine Urban Food Hall in Allerton Bywater is Cryer and Stott’s flagship retail outlet as well as home to their head office and thriving wholesale business.
Keen to keep family at the heart of their business the food hall is named after Clare and Richard’s children, Samuel and Valentine. The pair can often be found helping their mum and dad at the food hall. Valentine in particular is an expert on making hampers!
The food hall stocks a varied and comprehensive selection of Yorkshire produce and they even employ an in house butcher, who makes their award winning sausages on the premises.

*Working with other deliciouslyorkshire members!*
Cryer and Stott have always been keen to work with other Yorkshire producers, stocking many other Yorkshire products in both the consumer and wholesale side of their business. Most recently they collaborated with fellow deliciouslyorkshire member, Leeds Brewery on their Yorkshire Hellfire cheese. Voakes Pies of Whixley create their unique rhubarb and chilli pork pies and their much loved chutneys are created by fellow West Yorkshire business, Curry Cuisine.

*What next!*
To celebrate the start of the Grand Depart 100 day cultural festival, Cryer and Stott will be upping sticks and leaving West Yorkshire for a 3 day tour of France to showcase some of Yorkshire’s most iconic cheeses as well as collecting samples of some of France’s finest fromage. Over the 3 days, director Richard and Business Development Manager, Jemma will be visiting 6 towns throughout France, all of which are twinned with towns in Yorkshire
Richard says: “Provenance is something we’re really passionate about so it will be exciting to find out the stories behind some of France’s most unusual artisan cheeses, as well as tasting them. It’s going to be really interesting to see what the French think of our Yorkshire cheese board, but we’re confident they’ll love it as much as we do!”

*What do the experts recommend?*
They spend all day surrounded by cheese, but which are Richard and Clare’s favourites?
Richard: Yorkshire Hellfire
Clare: Yorkshire Blue from Shepherds Purse and Rhuby Crumble