Karen Chapman
Paul Grout
Paul: So Karen, you met Gessica at Euston Station, and off you went to Preston,
with a view to visiting Carron Lodge on the Tuesday. How was the journey?
Karen: Yes, it took about 2 hours, then we jumped into an Uber to get to the Holiday Inn, where we spent the night. Gessica spoke to reception, and got us pointed in the right direction for a lovely Italian restaurant.
Paul: Gessica found an Italian restaurant in Preston!!
Karen: Yes, and it was a nice treat. The following morning we had a lovely breakfast before Tom, the MD at Carron Lodge, collected us from the hotel. It turns out that Tom’s partner is a Stokey N16 girl. The drive through the beautiful countryside was fantastic and set the tone for the visit.
Paul: What were your first impressions on arrival?
Karen: The car pulled onto the farm. It was vast. There seemed to be so much
space. I spend a lot of time in London, and you forget how amazing the country is. On arrival, we were warmly welcomed and whisked into an office, where we were given a power-point presentation about the estate, the animals, the production and the product. The business dates back to 1996, and we were shown around the warehouse, the cheese production area, the storage and packing plant and we got to see the man made ‘cave’ where Blue Cheeses are developed and ripened. We even got to the room where cheeses are smoked. Then it was outside. We went to see the cows, and we were lucky enough to see a calf that had been born that day! We also got to see the herd of buffalo used for milking. I really got a feeling of seeing everything. A real ‘farm to table’ experience. Eventually, we were back inside, where we tasted some cheeses and had a cup of tea, which I think was well deserved.
Paul: What do you think is the biggest ‘take-away’ for you?
Karen: Well, the whole experience. I haven’t had the opportunity to make this type of trip before. It was amazing to be able to see and understand how the whole thing works, and to be able to come back to work enthused to share tales and the knowledge I feel I gained.
Paul: So it’s now a week or so later. How do you feel the trip has benefitted you?
Karen: I keep playing the day over in my mind. I feel confident to share my
knowledge with my colleagues and our customers. Earlier this week, I even court
myself saying ‘well, when I visited the farm….. ‘, and it helped me sell a cheese!
Paul: You took the Wednesday off. Gessica described you as being on cloud nine. Is Gessica a good travel companion?
Karen: You're cheeky! You know she’s the best.
