Caws Rhyd Y Delyn – Producer of the Month

6 Nov 2021

Caws Rhyd Y Delyn is a small dairy farm on the Isle of Anglesey, run by Maldwyn and Menai Jones. They make a number of fantastic cheeses including the Môn Las, a firm blue cheese, and Gouda Mon, a Welsh take on a traditional Dutch Gouda recipe.

About Caws Rhyd Y Delyn

The Jones family have been milking cows at Rhydydelyn Fawr for three generations and in 2009 they decided to begin their artisan cheese business Caws Rhyd Y Delyn. The milk used to create their beautiful cheeses comes from a pedigree milking herd dating back to 1938. In those days, the cattle would’ve been British Friesians but today, they are largely Holstein Friesian bloodlines and all of the cows are bred on the farm, grazing on lush grass pasture during the spring and summer months. Caws Rhyd Y Delyn is a real family business with Maldwyn and Menai’s children Elin, Alun, Sioned and Huw leading the marketing and selling of the cheese at local food markets and shops.

A day in the life…

The cows are milked twice a day (on average, the cows will produce around six gallons of milk a day) at 5:00a.m. and 4:00p.m seven days a week, 365 days a year, even on Christmas day! Rhydydelyn’s milk travels just 30 metres to the farm’s small modern dairy where the cheese is created.

Their cheese

They make a variety of deliciously creamy cheeses, including perhaps their best known, the award winning blue cheese, Môn Las. We have also recently started stocking their Welsh take on a traditional Dutch Gouda recipe, Gouda Mon. When in season, they even produce a very unique cheese using sea asparagus or samphire from a fish farm in Pwllheli.

All their ingredients are natural and they have chosen the acclaimed Welsh Anglesey Halen Môn Sea Salt to create their hard cheese meaning their ingredients are also local! Vegetarians will be pleased to find out that their products are made using vegetarian rennet.

Caws Rhyd y Delyn has earned several awards for its cheeses including the Supreme Cheese Award at the Royal Welsh Show and the President’s Cup for its fantastic Anglesey blue Môn Las. They received a Gold with their farmhouse Cheddar and the Best Produce of the Year Award by Anglesey Tourist Awards for their Camembert.

If you ever happen to be travelling nearby, Rhydydelyn frequently welcome visitors to the farm where their cheeses are made, so why not pop in and say hello.