The CourtyardDairy

The Courtyard Dairy trades from a converted stone barn at Crows Nest, Austwick, just outside Settle, where Andy and Kathy Swinscoe sell cheese they mature themselves. The couple opened the shop in 2012 after years working for cheesemongers and affineurs across Europe, from London to Lyon, and built their business on a simple rule: stock only the best, mostly unpasteurised, farmhouse cheese from named producers. The shop holds around thirty cheeses at any time, piled on sagging spruce boards in a cool, humid room designed for ageing rather than display. A 2017 expansion added a museum telling the history of farmhouse cheesemaking, plus a small café serving cheese-based dishes. The Courtyard Dairy has been named among the world's fifty best food shops by the Financial Times.