Family-run Belton Cheese Ltd recently had its Rind on Traditional Double Gloucester cheese voted the best undiscovered variety in Britain by Tesco at its annual competition.
The cheese, made and turned completely by hand at Belton Farm, Whitchurch in Shropshire, beat off over 80 other cheeses to win the contest. It will hit the shelves in the autumn.
Winning the contest has meant a Tesco contract for the company, potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and the chance to make the cheese famous across the UK.
Said Tesco Dairy Category Manager Alain Guilpain: "Belton's Rind on Traditional Double Gloucester cheese was one of the world's best kept cheese secrets, known only to the cheese makers on Belton Farm. Belton have been working on this project for over 18 months and the results have excited everyone.
"This cheese deserves to be on the map - and will be up there on the shelves with other British classics such as Cheddar, Stilton, Lancashire and Wensleydale."
Belton Rind on Traditional Double Gloucester cheese is made with milk sourced from family and neighbouring farms to ensure consistency and quality.
The recipes used in the dairy have been handed down through the generations and each cheese is given the time it needs to mature naturally to the peak of perfection.
Milica White from Belton Cheese said: "We are delighted to have won this prestigious award, especially having only entered the Tesco Cheese Challenge for the very first time this year. We are incredibly proud of the cheese we make here and would love as many people as possible to be able to try it."
Tesco's Alain Guilpain said: “We are committed to helping small British producers grow their business and find a market for their products.
“There is so much talent out there and we hope Belton's success will encourage people to come forward to enter next year's competition.”
Tesco Cheese Challenge 2007 also saw the introduction of 'Category Winners'. These cheeses win a regional listing from Tesco through their local buying offices.
