The Artisan Cheese Awards were held last weekend at the annual Melton Mowbray Cheese Fair. There are Supreme Champion cheeses picked along with lots of different classes and each class has Class Winners and Highly Commended Cheeses.
Then there are Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards. We have had a read through all the winners, and collate together all of the cheeses we stock permanently or that we get in now-and-again for your information.
The big winner on the day was Kingstone Dairy with it's "lockdown" cheese Ashcombe - a semi-soft washed rind made to a Morbier recipe. Not only did it win Supreme Champion ie the best cheese currently being made in Britain it also won, wait for it.....Best English Cheese, Best New Cheese, Best Farmhouse Cheese and Best Washed Rind Cheese. Phew!
Class Winners:
Best Soft - Winslade
Best Scottish - Anster
Highly Commended:
Wigmore
Barkham Blue
Sinodun Hill
Anster
Stichelton
Highmoor
Gold Award Winners:
Anster
Applebys Cheshire
Berkswell
Barkham Blue
Corra Linn
Winslade
Evenlode
Vintage Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
Old Winchester - Silver also
Mrs Kirkhams Mature Lancashire
Leeds Blue - Silver and Bronze also
Buffalo Blue - Silver also
Shitchelton - Bronze also
Hebden Goat - Bronze also
Pitchfork Cheddar - Silver also
Silver Award Winners:
Graceburn
Lincolnshire Poacher - Bronze also
Ashlynn
Killeen
Rollright - Bronze also
Fettle
Old Roan - Bronze also
Gorwydd Caerphilly
Harbourne Blue
Bronze Award Winners:
Biggar Blue
Tunworth
Holy Ewe
Yorkshire Fiore
Yorkshire Pecorino
Harrogate Blue
Yorkshire Blue
Beenleigh Blue