Here’s everything you need to know about ordering cheese from us for Christmas 2024. We will update this blog regularly as information changes.
Final Delivery Dates
The final order deadline for delivery before Christmas is 9am on Saturday 14th December.
Final deliveries will take place on 16th or 17th December, depending on your postcode. If you have any queries about your delivery, please contact us by email on hello@theethicaldairy.co.uk
Cheese Availability
The following cheeses are out of stock and won't be available before Christmas:
- Garnie
- All Cooking Cheese
- Smoked Rainton Tomme
The following cheeses have limited availability, and will only be available in small wedges in Taster Packs / Selection Packs, and may be subject to substitution within those bundles.
- Fleet Valley Blue
- Rainton Tomme
Please note our 500g wedge bundles will now include Barlocco Blue instead of Fleet Valley Blue, and Skinny Red instead of Rainton Tomme for orders despatching before Christmas.
Delivery Delays
Occassionally at this time of year deliveries can be delayed, usually because of weather. The packaging we use keeps cheese temperature controlled for a full 48 hours, and in winter this can be considerably longer. If your order is subject to a delay the courier will try again, and will send you a communication to let you know, but please be reassured that the condition of your cheese will be unaffected by a slightly longer transit time.
If you have any queries about your delivery, please contact us by email on hello@theethicaldairy.co.uk
Standard Shelf Life
The standard shelf life for our cheese is 4 weeks for blue cheeses and Rainton Tomme, and 5 weeks for all others.
500g wedges of hard cheese typically have longer best before dates of around 45 days.
No-Plastic Shelf Life
If you select 'No Plastic' during checkout, the shelf life of your cheeses will be significantly shortened to 14 days at most. ‘No Plastic’ orders will have 14 days on them from dispatch. This means that any No Plastic Christmas orders will be dated to 30th December at the latest.
We absolutely understand why many of our customers prefer no plastic. However, if you want to enjoy cheese throughout the festive period, we recommend standard packaging.
Packaging Recycling & Reuse
The plastic wraps used for our cheese are OPA - polyamide nylon - and PE - polyethylene. Please wash them thoroughly and add to your household plastic recycling. The chill packs are not recyclable, but they are reusable and can be refrozen for use in lunch boxes or cool bags. The wool insulation is reusable and compostable, our suppliers, Woolcool, have lots of reuse ideas on their website.
A Dairy Story Book
David and Wilma's book is now available to order as a paperback through our website for UK orders, as well as on Amazon for UK and International addresses. You'll find full details and links to the Amazon listings on this page.
Digital Gifts
Digital Gift Vouchers and Subscription Gift Vouchers can be purchased at any time, including as last minute emergency gifts. You can add a personal message, and you’ll receive the voucher as a PDF which you can print or forward to the recipient.
For Subscription Gift Vouchers, the voucher will let the recipient choose the start date of their subscription, and will also let them choose their cheese preferences, for example, no blue cheese.
January Delivery
Our team take a break over the festive season, but if you need to contact us you can email us on hello@theethicaldairy.co.uk
Cheese deliveries will resume on Wednesday 8th January 2025.