Artisan Cheese Awards

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.

Winners of Class

Dr Matthew O’Callaghan OBE

Organiser

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