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2021 Winners

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2021 Winners
La Fresca Margarita, Feltham's Farm

We’re proud to support and celebrate Great British cheesemakers. The Best of British cheese award was won by Feltham’s Farm for its La Fresca Margarita cheese, a fresh young cow’s milk cheese.

 

La Fresca Margarita (meaning fresh cheese) is made with pasteurised cow’s milk and was inspired by the cheesemakers’ travels in Latin America and Spain, it comes salted or plain.  Margarita is Spanish for “daisy” which grows in abundance on Feltham’s Farm marsh meadow in Somerset. The cheese was developed during lockdown.


Marcus Fergusson, Cheesemaker Owner at Feltham’s Farm says, “We are completely blown away by this win.  La Fresca Margarita is a lovely queso fresco we developed over lockdown as a counterbalance to our pungent washed rind cheeses.  We loved how it engaged the judges in a different conversation about what to expect from a fresh cheese.  

 

Once again, the Virtual Cheese Awards have moved our cheese industry forwards, because there’s nothing like being able to see your cheese tasted blind by experts in front of everyone…”  

The seven final categories were won by...

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Best Cheddar Cheese – Wyke Farms for Ivy’s Reserve Vintage cheddar

    • Made to our secret family recipe. This special edition Cheddar is left to mature for over 15 months and selected by Wyke’s Master Cheese Grader to ensure only the very best flavours are selected.

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Best Territorial Cheese – South Caernarfon Creameries for Double Gloucester

    • Wales’ oldest and largest dairy co-operative which has been farmer-owned since 1938. Its Double Gloucester is a classic Territorial, rich, balanced and with a hint of a russet apple and with a deep characterful after taste.

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Best Blue Cheese – Jones Cheese for Tysul Blue

  • Tysul is a soft and subtle blue-veined cheese handmade by Jones’ Cheese Company in Llandysul, Ceredigion. It’s mellow and creamy with a slight sweetness

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Best Enhanced Cheese – Butler’s Farmhouse Cheeses for Smouldering Ember

    • Butlers are legendary with over 100 years of cheesemaking experience. Smouldering Ember is a traditional farmhouse oak-fired Red Leicester cheese which is sweet, gentle and with and underlying smoky warmth.

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Best Speciality Cheese – Feltham’s Farm for La Fresca Margarita

    • La Fresca Margarita means “fresh daisy” in Spanish, because this cheese is as fresh as a daisy. It is a fresh and rich with a bite of milk and hint of lactic sweet & sour - and then a pinch of salt.

 

Best Artisan Hard Cheese – Fred W Read & Sons for Lincolnshire Poacher

    • The recipe for Lincolnshire Poacher cheese is a cross between a traditional West Country cheddar and a continental alpine cheese such as Comte. This cheese is usually matured for about 14 to 16 months and has quite a lot upfront with a rich full flavour.

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Best Artisan Soft Cheese – Harvey & Brockless and Cheese Cellar for Blanche

    • This goats cheese has a wrinkly alabaster coat, underneath which lies a smooth paste that is delicate and creamy. At two weeks old, there’s a perfumed aroma of dark forest honey on the nose, which carries over in the final flavour - think honeysuckle, herbs and a peppery tingle

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  • Best Artisan Cheese from Farms Own Herd was won by Lincolnshire Poacher

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  • Best Welsh cheese was won by South Caernarfon Creameries for Double Gloucester

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  • Best English Cheese was won by Feltham’s Farm for La Fresca Margarita

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  • Best Scottish Cheese was won by J & C Reade for Hebridean Blue

  • Trophy for Sustainability (sponsored by Wyke Farms) won by Isle of Mull Cheese (Brendan Reade)

    • An outstanding entry showing true passion for the environment and commitment to farming responsibly for today and the future. The farm produces enough electricity with a small 65Kw wind turbine and also a small water 180Kw water turbine, the surplus either goes to power the Island Bakery or is exported to the grid.

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  • Young Cheesemaker of the year (sponsored by Dairy UK) won by Ryan Gee from Hartington Creamery

    • Ryan is the 5th generation of Gee`s carrying the cheese making tradition. The last 5 years Ryan has been learning the art of making 3 PDO cheese, Dovedale Blue, Blue & White Stilton, guided by his Uncle. Ryan is part of a team helping build brand Hartington Creamery, by producing quality Artisan cheese, and developing modern variations such as Royal Blue, Devonshire Gold and Bayley Blue

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  • Cheese Hero (sponsored by Davidstow Cheddar) won by Shepherd’s Purse Cheese

    • Amazing Family farmers - Shepherds Purse Brought forward the launch of 'Fettle' cheese to give lifeline to sheep milk producers during COVID

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