THE new year is all about kicking things off as you mean to go on, and making some impossibly hard resolutions that will be broken long before February even arrives. For me, though, the daunting task I have set myself is to eat only green cheese.

Sounds gross, right? Far from it.

One of my all-time favourite Cheddar makers takes great pride in producing green cheese – and I’m not talking about the deep green of the packaging of their Vintage Cheddar.

For me, Wyke Farms epitomises what a true Somerset cheddar cheese should be.

It can trace its roots back more than 150 years to the farmhouse in the tiny hamlet of Wyke Champflower that was home to Ivy Clothier. Today that top secret recipe remains the pride and joy of her grandsons, who have taken the business on to new heights – and to supermarket shelves near you.

The Clothier family have come a long way in three generations from Ivy’s farmhouse kitchen production line, growing Wyke Farms into the largest independent producer of cheese in the UK, with more than 14,000 tonnes of their home-grown Cheddar finding its way onto tables in more than 160 countries around the globe.

But while the family continued to churn out cheese to meet an increasing demand they also began an innovative project to become 100 per cent reliant on green energy. The jewel in the Wyke Farms 100% Green crown bringing this ambitious achievement into reach is a £4m anaerobic digestion plant, which uses animal muck to create some of the finest Cheddar you can buy.

“We aim to operate our business in a way that has minimal impact on the Somerset environment, and create a truly symbiotic relationship with the countryside,” explained Richard Clothier, managing director and third generation family member at Wyke Farms.

“We’re committed to energy efficiency and we’re proud to be one of the first national food brands to be self-sufficient.”

The family’s AD plant has provided a platform to become one of the greenest brands in the grocery world, allowing them to produce all of their electrical and gas needs for themselves and their third party suppliers, while simultaneously reducing the need for the use of artificial fertiliser. It also makes them the UK’s first national Cheddar brand to become 100 per cent self-sufficient in green energy.

With green credentials like that there is no need to feel guilty cutting yourself an extra slice of Ivy’s Vintage Secret Recipe Cheddar. Yum.