£24,000 worth of cheese ruined just days before Christmas, leaving owner ‘devastated’

£24,000 worth of cheese has been ruined less than a week before Christmas, which has left the business owner “devastated”.

On Tuesday morning (December 20), the owner of Cobblers Nibble discovered an electrical fire had left two months of hard work burnt and charred – which weighed a whopping 150 kilos.

Cobblers Nibble will not be able to run properly until March next year, as it takes two months for the cheese to age and the products cannot be made in the condition the workshop is in after the fire.

Gary Bradshaw, who runs and owns Cobblers Nibble as part of Hamm Tun Fine Foods, said: “Walking into the room was devastating. There was soot everywhere and everything was black.

“Smoke poured out of the room and it had all been ruined.”

The fire was caused by an electrical appliance burning out, causing it to burn everything around it.

Gary was due to deliver most of the cheese in that room to their suppliers that day, including St Giles Cheese and Beckworth Emporium, and he had to make the painful calls to let them know it was not going to arrive.

He had food shows booked for January and February next year, which he has cancelled as it is not possible to make the cheese in time as it takes two months for it to mature and Gary needs time to clear up.

“It seems to be one thing after another,” said Gary. “We’ve had three to four awful years and it leaves you wondering what more could go wrong.”

Though the majority of their cheese has been ruined, which has scuppered all orders to suppliers, Gary thankfully moved some stock over to the Hamm Tun Fine Foods shop, in Long Buckby, ahead of the fire.

He hopes he has enough stock to sell to customers, but Gary says it is inevitable they are going to run out before he is able to produce more.

Thankfully, Cobblers Nibble is insured and they are waiting to be assigned an assessor who can visit to see the damage.

However, speaking to Chronicle & Echo, Gary said: “Being insured doesn’t take away the fact it is two months worth of work and it’s all gone up in smoke – literally.

“It’s so upsetting not being able to supply customers over Christmas and has created a very stressful time.”

Gary hopes their customers will bear with them while they sort out the mess the business finds itself in just days before Christmas, and that they will come back to support them in late February and March by buying their cheese.

“Supporting independent cheese shops at this time of year is important enough already,” said the business owner. “Now it is an even more difficult time.

“Our energy prices are not sustainable and supermarkets will get through it as their pockets are deep.”

Gary has been taken aback by the amount of support he has received – from messages on social media, to customers visiting the shop and offering financial aid.

Now, all he can do is await the insurance assessment and sell the remaining cheese Cobblers Nibble has left in the Hamm Tun Fine Foods shop.