Teesdale Cheesemakers, based in Rokeby, has been named a Gold award performer at this year’s World Cheese Awards.
The firm stood out from the crowd against cheeses from all continents to be named in the cream of the crop out of more than 3,000 entries.
Owners Allison and Jonathan Raper were delighted to have “gone global” with their success.
Mrs Raper said: “We only tried it because we had a friends who was lactose intolerant and we kept getting asked on the market.
“We thought if we could get good suppliers we could do a little bit and its done really well.”
Judges ruled the firm’s semi-soft mould ripened cheese was gold-worthy after a blind taste and smell test.
The couple’s new goat cheese has already claimed silverware picking up a gold at the artisan cheese awards, two stars from the Great Taste Awards and a ringing endorsement from TV chef Rosemary Shrager.
Mrs Raper said entering the competition was a nod to their predecessors, Brian and Esme Dedman, who laid the foundation for their success with Leaside Cheeses.
She added: “Brian and Esme used to enter it so it’s kind of a legacy thing.
“We’ve only been making this since last October when it was launched onto the market and we were tinkering with it for a while.
“It’s amazing to think we do it in our utility room.”
It took a group of Rugby forwards to shift the 300 litre cheese vat into their utility room and the firm is still on the lookout for larger premises.
Its rising reputation in artisan cheese circles has mirrored that of the nation, which has steadily increased its foothold on the world stage.
“It nearly died out in the UK and there was just a handful of people who’d been doing it for a long time,” added Mrs Raper.
“But the overall champion this year was a UK product.”
As well as a new hard cheese, the firm are also on the lookout for hidden or lost Teesdale cheese recipes to try out.
To offer a recipe, go to tees
dalecheesemakers.co.uk for more information.
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