COUNTRY Cheeses in Tavistock has won the Best Specialist Retailer award at the inaugural Great British Cheese Awards which were launched earlier this year with the specific aim to recognise, promote and reward excellence in the artisan cheese industry.

Over 7,500 people voted for their favourite cheeses, producers and retailers in the first Great British Cheese Awards which were deliberately set apart from similar events as they gave the general public a large influence on recognising and rewarding outstanding British cheese by enabling them to vote for their favourites.

Only those cheese producers and retailers who received the most votes in each category were shortlisted for an award.

A prestigious panel including Brian Turner, chef restaurateur and president of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Chantelle Nicholson, group operations director for Marcus Wareing Restaurants and head chef at Tredwells by Marcus Wareing, Galton Blackiston, owner and chef patron of Morston Hall, Adam Woodyatt, actor and food blogger, Patrick McGuigan, food journalist and cheese writer, Andy Clarke, TV food producer, Felicity Spector, food writer and Great Taste Awards judge, Chris Mercer, editor of Decanter.com and Paul Thomas, dairy technologist have together tasted and judged the overall category winners.

Country Cheeses started 27 years ago with a table in Tavistock’s Pannier Market and today has three shops in Tavistock, Topsham and Totnes selling in the region of 100 different British cheeses.

Owner Gary Jungheim said: ‘We are immensely proud to win this award as it is judged by people who use cheese as part of their passion. For 27 years we have striven to engage everyone with the miracle that is ‘real cheese’.

This has grown into a delicious marriage between artisan cheese, cheesemakers, us and our customers. This award is a brilliant endorsement of this passion, rewarding our staff with a tangible recognition of their expertise. We want to continue influencing new customers with a lifestyle that rewards quality in every area — land management, animal husbandry, artisanal production, sympathy for the environment and respect for each and every facet of what goes into artisan cheese. Winning this award adds significant weight to this.’

The Great British Cheese Awards were organised by Great British Chefs (the UK’s fastest growing food website) and Peter’s Yard.

Ollie Lloyd, CEO and founder of Great British Chefs said: ‘Both Great British Chefs and Peter’s Yard rely on fantastic tasting ingredients and the people who produce them.

‘We launched The Great British Cheese Awards with the hope to produce a catalogue of great artisan cheese and discover up-and-coming cheesemakers.

‘We are grateful to the remarkable support we have received in our first year from producers, retailers and especially the general public.

‘To achieve 7,500 votes in the first year is phenomenal. Together Great British Chefs and Peter’s Yard have a social media reach of over 1.3-million and we will utilise this platform to continue to help promote British cheese talent.’

Picture shows, left to right, Ollie Lloyd of Great British Chefs, Elise Evans and Marie Talbot of Country Cheeses, Ian Tencor of Peter’s Yard and Brian Turner Chef Restaurateur and President of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Great British Cheese Awards Judge.