The planet-friendly Christmas cheeseboard, where hard cheese meets hard data

As minds turn towards feel-good festive cheeseboards, regenerative food and drink innovator, Golden Hooves has revealed the results of its latest Impact Report. 

Sharing the game-changing impact of regenerative actions taking place across the First Milk co-op’s 700 member farms, the report tells the story behind each multi-award-winning cheese, and places the Golden Hooves range firmly on this year’s guilt-free Christmas shopping list.

Fresh from scooping the coveted trophy for the Best British & Irish Creamery Cheddar at the Global Cheese Awards (GCA), the Impact Report 25/26 shows that better cheese can do more than take home the silverware. A 3.8% decrease in net greenhouse gas emissions and an 8.2% reduction in farm carbon intensity show year-on-year improvements, all taking place across nearly 100,000 hectares of farming land. 

Co-op members identified a staggering 342,613 individual regenerative interventions undertaken on their farms during 25/26, with exciting progress to report across a diverse range of outcomes. Focusing on First Milk’s interconnected regenerative principles, the Report found that 96% of member land was farmed in a way to minimise soil disturbance, and 95% supported the maintenance of living roots, while 88% was used to incorporate livestock into the system. 

Regenerative actions across First Milk farms are estimated to have locked away more than 264,000 tonnes of carbon in soils and vegetation, up 14.57% from the previous year. And beyond lowering emissions, Golden Hooves farmers are now mapping water risk across every farm to help protect rivers and streams.

With this year’s report finding that 92% of co-op land was actively employed to increase species diversity, Golden Hooves has been able to highlight the opportunity of creating a productive agricultural system that incorporates diverse habitats for pollinators, birds, soil organisms and natural pest predators, while also contributing to soil health, water management and farm resilience. Among core initiatives in this area, great gains have been made through the preservation hedgerows as natural habitats, with 6,593km of hedgerows now falling within the co-op’s regenerative programme.

Celebrating the work and commitment of its farmers, Golden Hooves has five hard cheeses to choose from, alongside a deliciously regenerative Salted Butter. The cheese range includes Mature Cheddar, which won Gold at the GCA; Vintage Cheddar, which won Golds at both the International Cheese & Dairy Awards (ICDA) and the GCA; Double Gloucester, which secured the Championship trophy for Double Gloucester at the ICDA; Smoked Cheddar, which won Best Welsh Cheese at the British & Irish Cheese Awards; and Red Leicester, which also picked up two Silvers at ICDA.

While working to ensure that shoppers never have to choose between quality and conscience, these tasty accolades go hand-in-hand with powerful evidence that real change is happening on the ground. 

Leona McDonald, director of Golden Hooves, commented:

“We all want to feel good about our choices at Christmas, and these days, good intentions and flowery words just aren’t enough. At Golden Hooves, we’re leading the way in regenerative dairy, publishing powerful evidence across carbon, soil health, water and biodiversity, so we’re really excited to have sustainability claims that are as mature as our cheese. Our hard cheese is award-winning. Our hard data speaks for itself. We have great products, real stories, and proof that fantastic flavour and fantastic farming go hand in hand. You can now choose a cheeseboard that helps farmers encourage and measure the return of nature, not just reduce carbon – so for those out there who have yet to discover us, join the regen revolution this Christmas!”

Golden Hooves products are available to purchase from Waitrose, Ocado, Booths and the best independent retailers across the UK.