Cheese shops · Settle
The Courtyard Dairy
The Courtyard Dairy, on the A65 just outside Settle, is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm. Entry to the shop and its cheese museum is free, and parking on site is free. Tastings take place in its underground maturing cellar, and one-day cheesemaking courses cost £140.
- Shop
- Mon to Sat 9:30 to 5:30, Sun 10 to 5
- Museum
- Free
- Courses
- £140, 9:30am to 3:30pm
- Parking
- Free
The Shop
Andy and Kathy Swinscoe's shop sits in a stone barn, the former Falconry Centre, and stocks farmhouse cheese that it ages on site. Expect whole wheels of Cheddar on spruce boards and cheesemongers who hand out tastes freely. It has won Cheesemonger of the Year at the Global Cheese Awards 2024, and the shop and its online orders run from the same building.
The Cheese Museum
A small museum on the history of farmhouse cheese opened when the shop moved into these premises in 2017, along with a cheese production room. It is included with a visit to the shop and costs nothing.
Tastings and Talks
Talks with cheesemakers, tutored tastings and cheese and wine evenings are held in the underground maturing cellar. Coming up: a Level 1 Academy of Cheese certification day on Monday 2 November 2026 (9:30am to 4:30pm, £220 with 12 cheeses, study pack and lunch) and a French Classics tasting with author Ned Palmer on Saturday 21 November at 7pm (£22, optional drinks pairing £14). Book by phone on 01729 823 291.
Cheesemaking Courses
Andy Swinscoe teaches a one-day course in the production room from 9:30am to 3:30pm, lunch included. You learn the theory, then make a hard Cheddar-style cheese and a soft lactic cheese at your own vat, and take both home. Groups are capped at 12, there is roughly one course a month, and current dates run from late January to March 2027. Gift vouchers cost £140.
Food on Site
RIND, run by The Cheese Bar from London, is reached through the shop and past the museum. It serves wood-fired pizzas topped with British and Irish cheese, Monday to Thursday 12 to 7, Friday and Saturday 12 to 8 and Sunday 12 to 6. The terrace looks out to Ingleborough from April to October and cannot be booked. Dogs are welcome and there is a gluten-free base. Ambry Bakery is on the same site.
Opening Hours and Getting There
The shop opens Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 5:30 and Sunday 10 to 5, with 10 to 5 on the May and August bank holidays. In December it stays open to 7pm from the 18th to the 21st, closes at 3pm on Christmas Eve, and shuts on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. It is on the A65 heading from Settle towards Kendal, postcode LA2 8AS.
Nearby
Pair it with the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, further into the Dales, for a full day of Yorkshire cheese.
Cheeses to Taste Here
Where to Stay near Settle
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Questions People Ask
Is the Courtyard Dairy museum free?
Yes. The cheese museum is included with a visit to the shop and there is no charge.
Does the Courtyard Dairy have a café?
The food on site now comes from RIND, a cheese pizza restaurant run by The Cheese Bar, open daily from noon. Ambry Bakery is also on the site.
How much is a cheesemaking course at the Courtyard Dairy?
£140 for a full day from 9:30am to 3:30pm, with lunch, up to 12 people, and you take home the two cheeses you make.
Official site: thecourtyarddairy.co.uk/about/visit-shop/. Dates, hours and prices checked 22 October 2026; confirm on the official site before you travel.