ERRINGTON CHEESE has won its lengthy legal battle with South Lanarkshire Council's food safety – but now the Carnwath-based farm business has to get that message out to consumers after years of negative publicity over its use of unpasteurised milk.

To that end, it is opening up its farm to members of the public this Sunday for the first time, marking Great British Cheese Day. Errington Farm and cheese rooms will be open for tours, tasting and live demonstrations between 11am and 2pm, showcasing an extensive product range and providing opportunities to taste the first batch of Dunsyre Blue made with raw organic milk sourced from its new East Ayrshire sustainable supplier, Mossgiel Farm.

Errington has had a turbulent couple of years, successfully defending itself from the bid by South Lanarkshire Council to dispose of its entire stock of cheese after a well-documented E.coli 0157 link – claims the company strongly refutes based on evidence from experts in microbiology and epidemiology.

Despite being cleared of breaching food hygiene regulations, its sales have fallen to 25% of 2016 levels and the company was recently forced to lay off its two remaining employees. It is now concentrating on increasing stock by ramping up production, while attempting to reclaim legal fees of around £350,000 from South Lanarkshire Council – and seeking compensation for the £260,000 worth of cheese seized that is no longer marketable, with the aim of reemploying staff.

Errington director Selina Cairns said: “It has undoubtably been the most difficult period in the company’s 36-year history, enduring an expensive legal battle which could have led to our demise.

“The courts ultimately ruled in our favour but even though we were completely cleared of breaching food hygiene regulations, the issue is far from resolved," she said. "The knock-on effect on the operation has been extremely detrimental, faced with a drop-in sales and the majority of cash reserves being ploughed into covering legal costs. We regrettably had to make staff redundant and are still fighting to reclaim fees from the local authority. This is essential if we are to reemploy our loyal workforce or get back to sustainable production and sales levels.

“Despite these challenges the focus remains on what we do best, sustainably producing an enticing selection of high-quality artisan cheese. We’re really excited to begin working with the small family team at Mossgiel Farm, who provide the raw organic milk for the Dunsyre Blue.

“On Sunday we’ll open our doors to visitors for the first time, who will be able to learn about the different ways to make cheese while seeing what it takes to run an operation of this scale.”

For more information, visit the company’s website www.erringtoncheese.co.uk