Meet Our Farmers

John Swainson: How End Farm, Cumbria

The ability to marry first hand experience, gleaned over generations, with current techniques and future developments marks out John Swainson as a leading example of the modern dairy farmer.

John, a father of three, is still a young man but in terms of knowledge and experience he’s a positive veteran.

John supplies milk for the Lake District Cheese Company’s brand new Cumbrian Cheddar range from How End Farm which he runs with his uncle Gordon and father, also John.

“It all started with my grandfather who came to How End farm in 1942 when he was in his twenties. In time, his sons – my father and uncles - gradually took over, determined to grow the business.

“I’ve always been around the farm, helping out since I was a child, but I started full time in 1992 when I came back from Newcastle University with a degree in Agriculture. I also spent a gap year working on one of the top herds in Canada which gave me the opportunity to study techniques, prevalent now, that weren’t in practice in the UK back then,” says John.

Much like John did as a small boy, his son James, who is just three years old, has already started to take an interest in farm life and has even started helping with the milking. This passion to pass on knowledge and inspire others was reflected in his decision to appear on pack and in posters for the Lake District Cheese Company.

“The images really sum up what dairy farming is all about up here. A dairy farmer’s job is his life and I’m passionate about what I do. I wholeheartedly believe Cumbrian dairy farmers have something worth shouting about and feel it’s important we are represented. That’s why I’m fully behind the Lake District Cheese Company”, says John.

The Lake District is blessed with a fantastic climate for dairy farming - the area is naturally grassy and there is a low density of population - but according to John there’s another reason the cheese tastes so fantastic.

“Knowledge and enthusiasm has been passed down through the generations for years, meaning we now have a real depth of specialist dairy producers in Cumbria. I can look out of my window right now and point towards a top dairy farm in every direction.

“It’s enormously satisfying to know my cows’ milk is staying local and going into Cumbrian cheese. People say there’s no room for sentimentality in business but it’s great to feel that sense of pride and camaraderie that comes from being part of a local initiative.”