Britains Best Artisan Cheese
Pevensey Blue, a blue cheese made by Pevensey Cheese Company of Holden Farm in East Sussex has won Supreme Champion at this year’s Artisan Cheese Awards held in St Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray, the home of Stilton Cheese. This brine washed blue cheese made with pasteurised milk and animal rennet is the creation of new comers to cheesemaking; Martin and Hazel Tkalez. The couple have only been making cheese for two years. Prior to that Martin worked for 15 years as a Cheesemonger in Neal Yard’s, London. Some four years ago he decided that rather than just sell cheese he would like to make his own cheese and so applied for a Leader Funded grant and set about designing and building his own dairy. Two years on and with a lot of advice and help from colleagues in the cheese world Martin and Hazel have produced an award winning stunning blue cheese. The cheese beat off competition from almost 500 entries into this year’s awards from across the UK and Ireland.
One of the judges at the Awards described Pevensey Blue as a soft, creamy blue cheese with a hint of sweetness. The Awards Ceremony was the highlight of a weekend of Cheese in Melton Mowbray with the two day Artisan Cheese Fair projected to welcome over 8,000 visitors and over 40 cheesemakers including 8 over from Ireland for the first time since Covid. Many have reported record sales in the first day of trading.
Trophy | Cheesemaker | Cheese |
Supreme Champion | Pevensey Cheese Company Limited | Pevensey Blue |
Reserve Supreme Champion | Cheesemakers of Canterbury | Ashmore Farmhouse |
Best Small Producer | Bluebell Falls | Bluebell Falls Goats Cheese |
Best Micro Producer | Cheese Bothy | White Laggan |
Best English Cheese | Pevensey Cheese Company Limited | Pevensey Blue |
Best Irish Cheese | Velvet Cloud – Rockfield Dairy | Rockfield |
Best Scottish Cheese | St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese | Anster |
Best Welsh Cheese | Cosyn Cymru | Brefu Bach |
Winners of Class
Class | Description | Cheese | Cheesemaker |
1 | Fresh Cheese | Rosary Ash | Rosary Goats Cheese Ltd |
2 | Soft Cheese | Bluebell Falls Goats Cheese | Bluebell Falls |
3 | Semi-Soft Cheese | Cornish Yarg | Lynher Daries Cheese Company Ltd |
4 | Hard Cheese | White Laggan | Cheese Bothy |
5 | Blue Cheese | Pevensey Blue | Pevensey Cheese Company Limited |
6 | Cow Cheese | Evenlode | King Stone Dairy |
7 | Sheep Cheese | Rockfield | Velvet Cloud – Rockfield Dairy |
8 | Goat Cheese | Brightwell Ash | Norton & Yarrow Cheese |
9 | Vegetarian Cheese | Crozier Blue | Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers |
10 | Organic Cheese | Aged Gouda | Connage Highland Dairy |
11 | Raw Milk Cheese | Ashmore Farmhouse | Cheesemakers of Canterbury |
12 | Farmhouse Cheese | Sparkenhoe Blue | Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co |
13 | Raw Milk Farmhouse Cheese | St Colman | Fermoy Natural Cheese Company |
14 | Territorial Cheese | Anster | St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese |
15 | Protected Name Cheese | Dovedale Blue PDO | Hartington Creamery |
16 | New Cheese Cheese | Pevensey Blue | Pevensey Cheese Company Limited |
17 | Washed Rind Cheese | Rebel Nun | Feltham’s Farm Ltd |
18 | Smoked Cheese | Smoke ‘n’ Jack | Padstow Cheese Company Limited |
19 | Flavoured Cheese | Rosary Garlic & Herb | Rosary Goats Cheese Ltd |
Dr Matthew O’Callaghan OBE
Organiser
07894229499