Just two weeks before the wedding of Jules and John Natlacen, something happened which changed their lives forever. Jules tripped over at their home in Manchester, fell and broke both her legs. The wedding went ahead, but the walking honeymoon in Devon was scuppered! So they decided to take a short break to the beautiful town of Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria. During their “mini” honeymoon, they chanced upon an empty shop and it was here that their dreams were born – to open a speciality cheese shop, next to the Church – namely “Churchmouse Cheeses”

They moved to Kirkby Lonsdale and John started to design and sell Wedding Cakes made out of cheese and since 2004, their Wedding Cheese Cake business has grown and grown. They send their cakes throughout the whole of the UK and the cost of a cake includes all the cheeses, all the decorations, courier delivery the day before the wedding, instructions on how to build your special cake and lots of photographs of similar cakes. “The cakes are easy to assemble, but looks amazing” says John. “We have gone for a rustic, artisan approach and the photos in the box help the person building the cake to recreate what the bride and bridegroom have seen on our website”

Most cheeses can be used on the wedding cake, as long as they tier in the correct way. “We use a lot of Lancashire cheeses in our cakes, including Tasty Lancashire, Blacksticks Blue, Smoked Lancashire and Creamy Lancashire” says John. “We also have a cake called “Piggy in the Middle” which has a delicious Hand Crafted Pork Pie as one of the layers. This cake was designed by me in 2017 and has long been our Bestseller. What could be more of a Match Made in Heaven? Pork Pie and Cheese”

John and Jules also offer their Churchmouse Chutney to complement the Cheese Wedding Cake. A delicious mix of ruby port, fig and apple in a dark chutney. The store boasts a fine array of Artisan Crackers and Biscuits, such as Three Seed Crackers, Sourdough Crackers, Charcoal Biscuits, Hazelnut and Raisin Toasts to name just a few. They can even offer a rustic cheese board to place the Cheese Wedding Cake on, which is made from a slice of an old tree. “I chanced upon this idea after driving past a logging yard nearby”said John. “We sand them down and the Wedding Cakes look amazing sat atop of a slice of tree”

John and Jules even offer a FREE cheese tasting to any Bride and Groom -to- be who have already booked their venue. “Come up and see us in the beautiful village of Barbon, for a leisurely day out and have a cheese tasting with us” says Jules. “We are 90 minutes North of Manchester and not a traffic light between us and Manchester Airport” Their store, which they moved too after their children were born, is called The Churchmouse at Barbon and is a heady mix of cafe, speciality cheeses, delicatessen, with outdoor seating on a terrace with great views of the Barbon Fells.
The Churchmouse at Barbon, Barbon, LA6 2LL
Tel 015242 76224
Mob 07966 336789
Churchmouse Cheeses Wedding Cakes
www.churchmousecheeses.com/weddingcheesecakes/
facebook.com/churchmousebarbon