The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowZuivelboerderij Dikhoeve
- Cattle, sheep or goats graze on pasture in the grazing season
Zuivelboerderij Dikhoeve is a dairy farm in the meadows of Waterland at Ransdorp, just outside Amsterdam, where the family milks sheep and makes soft sheep's cheeses and yoghurt by hand.
There are four cheeses: Skeapsrond, a soft round cheese in the style of camembert or brie; Skeapsbloem, a white-mould cheese ripened in herbs that also grow in the farm's meadows, such as spearmint, yarrow, plantain and dandelion; Skeapswit, a young rindless cheese kept in brine made from whey, comparable to feta; and Skeapsrood, a soft washed-rind cheese. They also make a set sheep's yoghurt. Their website says the animals graze all summer on unsprayed pasture and that no artificial fertiliser or chemical pesticides are used, and we found Zuivelboerderij Dikhoeve certified organic in the SKAL register (NL-BIO-01.528-0002972.2026.001) at Nieuwe Gouw 51, the address on their website. Whether the cheese is made from raw milk is not stated.
The cheeses and yoghurt can be ordered through the webshop on their website. Sales at the farm are by appointment, with Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00 listed as the opening time, so it is worth calling before you go.
Everything from milking to cheesemaking and ripening happens on the farm itself.