Reflecting on Cryer & Stott’s achievements on their 25th Anniversary
18 May 2023
On their 25th Anniversary, we’re delighted to be reflecting on the incredible journey of our fabulous Yorkshire Mark member, Cryer & Stott.
Since opening their first cheese retail shop in 1998, the business has gone from strength to strength, due to placing innovation and creativity at the heart of Cryer & Stott of what they do. Demonstrated in 1999, when Richard produced the world’s very first rhubarb cheese - Ruby Gold - which went on to win numerous awards for innovation, flavour, and texture.
Fast forward to the noughties, Richard and Clare opened two Cryer & Stott retail shops in Castleford and Pontefract, alongside a wholesale business. Moving into 2010, Richard and Clare opened The Urban Food Hall in West Yorkshire village Allerton Bywater, and then supplied 12-tonnes of cheese to the London Olympics in 2012, giving Cryer & Stott their biggest order of cheese for one single event. Two new cheeses were produced for the London Olympics, Rhuby Crumble and Legacy.
As part of Tour-de-France celebrations, Richard and Jemma Ladwitch from Cryer & Stott toured France in a project named 'The Grand Fromage Depart'. The pair swapped Yorkshire cheese for French cheese with small artisan producers across the country. The British Embassy heard about the tour and the duo were invited to showcase a Yorkshire Cheese Stack in Paris at the British Embassy.
The Ambassador was so inspired by Cryer & Stott he asked them to return and create a special cheese for a state visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which was showcased to Her Majesty by Richard, Clare & Jemma & enjoyed by HRH on four separate occasions that week. The titled 'Duke of Wellington' cheese went on to win both Gold and Silver at The World Cheese Awards in 2016; and in 2017 the cheese was officially launched at The Houses of Parliament in London.
2018 was another great year, as HRH Princess Anne visited Samuel Valentine, The Urban Food Hall, after the lord lieutenant put Cryer & Stott forward for a royal visit to thank them for services to the Yorkshire food industry, leading to the team creating a cheese named Royal Thursday. In the same year, Cryer & Stott were awarded with both a Gold and Silver at the World Cheese Awards in 2018 for their launch of their new cheese, Endeavour, and Richard also won another award in 2018, CEO of The Year.
A new vegetarian cheese called Ewe Beauty was launched in 2019, which won Supreme Champion at the Great Yorkshire Show. Another huge success for Richard, Clare and Cryer & Stott as this was their first vegetarian rennet pecorino style cheese. On the back of this, Richard climbed Mount Everest to raise money for the Cash for Kids project, a charity close to his heart. This is where he performed the World’s Highest Cheese Tasting!
Fast forward through the pandemic, and Cryer & Stott now looks slightly different. The two retail cheesemongers are run by Richard’s brother Stuart as franchise businesses, and Samuel Valentine is run by a French chef under licence.
Cryer & Stott have been at the scene of so many landmark British moments, from supplying 12-tonnes of cheese to the London Olympics in 2012 and being invited to Her Majesty the Queens Garden Party, but 2023 saw some extremely exciting news as Managing Director Richard was awarded MBE for Service to the British Food Industry. In the same year, Cryer & Scott won True Yorkshire Grit at the Azet's Yorkshire Food & Drink Business Awards and also had the privilege of producing a bespoke cheese for the Coronation of the king. This cheese is called King Charles III and is made with cheddar and black truffle - the kings favourite mushrooms!
A huge congratulations to Cryer & Stott on all your incredible achievements over the past 25 years and representing the Yorkshire food industry so well!
