Last month Archdeacon of York Sarah Bullock found herself on an unusual assignment when she was invited to bless a goats' cheese making facility - including over 100 goats.
Long-serving Archbishop's Council member Hilda Cowling farms in Ryedale and began keeping goats for their milk many years ago; "Long before everyone went green," she says.
Hilda saw another maker of goats' cheese and her interest was sparked; she got going on a small scale a long time ago and moved to larger premises with 25 goats in 2018.
She was able to raise £25k under Virgin Money's Startup Loan scheme and promptly spent it on refurbished equipment from Germany which took nearly a year and half to be delivered; meanwhile she is using a hired-in inverter and generator with the hope of buying her own in due course.
“I hope I can get hold of a 330-litre vat - an ex-display one from France - to make curd for curd tarts! There's no-one else in Ryedale making curd nowadays.”
Archdeacon Sarah went to tour Hilda's new facilities along with other invited guests, who she led in prayer for the venture.
“These are difficult times for small farmers in North Yorkshire,” she said, “and it's really encouraging to see Hilda's determination to make this new business work, and work for the local community too.
“I think she's judged the growing market for local niche products like this very shrewdly, and I thank God for Hilda's ideas and sheer hard graft.”
Now with 100 nannies and over 15 due to give birth, Hilda's operation is scaling up fast.
“I'd like to employ two people - someone to look after the milking and so on, and someone to make the cheese.
“We'll be producing yoghurt too - 80ml pots, 'Little pots for little people' - ideal for people who have an allergy to cows' milk.”
Hilda is encouraged by a number of local investors who share her commitment to the business, and is on the lookout for other 'Angel Investors' who would like to see this local Yorkshire enterprise succeed in the long term.