'Melt in the mouth' goats cheese named Supreme Champion at Melton awards

Gillian Clough lifts the Supreme Champion trophy for Tenacres Cheese dairy (Hebden Bridge) at the Artisan Cheese Awards in Melton

Hebden Goat, which is made by the Tenacres Cheese dairy at Hebden Bridge, in the Upper Calder Valley of West Yorkshire, was named overall winner at the awards, at the town’s St Mary’s Church.

The cheese also won the Soft Cheese and Farmhouse Cheese classes for the dairy, which is run by Gillian Clough and which has just 10 goats.

A lactic cheese made from raw goats milk, which consists of small 10 cm roundels of cheese aged for around four weeks, impressed the judges with its ‘melt in the mouth’ smoothness with light, earthy mushroomy flavours which develop and then linger.

Mark Flanagan (left), personal chef to King Charles III and the royal household, pictured at Melton's Artisan Cheese Fair with organiser Matthew O'Callaghan

Reserve Champion this year was Pevensey Blue, which is made by the Pevensey Cheese Company of East Sussex.

Among the main trophy winners was Long Clawson Dairy, which took the honours for Best Stilton.

Another local firm flying the county flag was Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co, which triumphed in the Territorial class with its Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.

Judges included representatives of major retailers and experts in the cheese world, including The Fine Cheese Co, Neal’s Yard, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Harvey & Brockless, Tesco, Harrods, Bradbury’s, Fortnum & Mason and Paxton & Whitfield.The awards were announced at the Cheesemakers’ Candlelit Supper in the church during the weekend’s Artisan Cheese Fair.

Awards and fair organiser, Matthew O’Callaghan, said: “This was a great celebration of Artisan Cheese from across the UK and Ireland.The cheeses up for judging and for sale at the Cheese Fair are amongst the world’s finest cheeses.”

One of the visitors to the cheese fair this year was Mark Flangan, personal chef of King Charles III and head chef for the royal household, who has agreed to return as a judge for next year’s awards.

The other main trophy winners were: Cote Hill Farm (Best Small Producer) for Cote Hill Snowdrop; Norton & Yarrow Cheese (Best Micro Producer) for Sinodum Hill; Yorkshire Pecorino Cheese Co (Best English); Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheese (Best Irish Cheese); Connage Highland Dairy (Best Scottish); Cosyn Cymru (Best Welsh).