Food - Cheese

When thousands of servicemen were based in Orkney during World War II many farmers built up dairy herds to supply milk to the troops. As an admirably sensible way of coping with the surplus after the war, a cheese factory was opened in 1946.

In 1957 the Claymore Creamery opened on Deerness Road in Kirkwall and produced award-winning butter and cheese for many years. Butter is no longer made in Orkney but a new factory on the Hatston Industrial Estate still produces prize-winning cheddar