Speciality-Food-July/August 2025

24 @specialityfood “Healthy cheese makes for a healthyworld” W hen we consider our cheese choices today it is a bit of a minefield. So many varieties and pretty much with every flavour that you can imagine. We are literally spoiled for choice and in my opinion we have too much choice. There are industrial producers working hard to come up with the next trend in cheese to adorn the supermarket shelves. There will be people paid highly to come up with eye catching packaging and buzz words to help convince you that your choice is correct. How do we grow our food for our dairy animals? Let’s take a varietal that have been bred for volume as an example. We put that varietal into the soil, we manage that soil with chemical inputs, and then we expect magic to happen to continue to produce more and more volume of food as the basis of howwe transact. One problem is that along the way we forgot that the pastures are supposed to nourish the animals, and the primary outcome should be nutrition for the animal and equally for the human when the milk is turned into cheese. So, the question becomes how do we measure nutrition, how do we measure the nutritional quality of our food, and how do we help all the farmers who are doing great work on the soil and in the land to get paid based on the quality of their cheese? When it comes to soil and plant health, we cycle carbon and other things but most importantly we cycle nutrition which is ultimately what we’re moving from beginning to end. Depending on howwe treat the soil, the biology will become active and will make nutrition available to enter the plant through the rhizosphere. Those nutrients move up to create a healthy plant that is ultimately consumed by the animal whose milk will then be processed into cheese for human consumption. Today we are overfed and undernourished. We are getting the wrong balance of macronutrients. We are getting inadequate levels of micronutrients and completely deficient levels of phytonutrients. How did we get here? We like to attribute it to soil health, but we must remember genetics play a very important role in this equation. The varietals that you choose and what you are choosing to optimize for in your production system are going to determine the nutritional quality and the outcome of your system. So, what the farmers feed JAMES GRANT NO2 POUND STREET the animals is important for animal and human health. Genetic dilution plays an important role here because as industrialists and large cheesemakers design for consumer packaged foods that are bigger, prettier, shelf-stable makes that last longer and that play to the quality metrics of the supermarkets, we have put less nutrition in every gram of food. That is one reason why a lot of our cheese is nutritionally depleted today. Another reason is soil health, and additionally, chemical and toxic inputs in our system hinder nutrient absorption. There are great studies beginning to emerge about the impact of pesticides and the impact of synthetic fertilizers on distorting plant health, which is ultimately an expression of nutrition. I know that the food system could hold the keys to help slow negative climate change. There is no doubt that if we can activate the stewards of the land and reward and incentivise them for the great practices to put carbon back in the soil and mitigate the greenhouse gas intensity of their production systems, we could solve climate change. The science says that we can take a big chunk out of the problem. Unfortunately, consumers are not choosing cheese on its environmental attributes. We need to keep telling our customers about our exceptional artisan cheese and why it is good for their family, including the health benefits, not only to them but the positive impact of their food choice both environmentally and sustainably. They need to know this story which will give them the reason to buy the cheese. That’s where we’ve lost this thread; there are no such stories in the supermarkets, just pretty labels with pictures of farmers and animals. We must connect the dots between the quality of the cheese and the impact on the human. We must start treating our food not as a commodity, but as a functional ingredient to health. So, what is healthy cheese? Healthy cheese is both safe and nutritious. Today, a lot of cheese is neither. We need someone to analyse industrial cheese over proper artisan cheese. Only then will we have an objective benchmark for the relative concentration of health- promoting compounds within the cheese so that we can make objective decisions on the land to produce better, healthier dairy products. The writing’s on the wall. Support small producers that are working chemical-free who are happy to produce a smaller, healthier yield whilst working properly with animals, land and nature. Cheese produced here is more wholesome, nutrient-dense and guilt-free. The team at Belton Farm in Shropshire are celebrating the maker’s traditional Coloured Cheshire cheese being awarded Supreme Champion at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards (ICDA) 2025. It’s the fifth time Belton Farm has taken home the prestigious prize in the last 60 years. Managing director, Justin Beckett, called the award a huge honour. “Our Coloured Cheshire is a true classic, and this recognition is testament to the skill of our cheesemakers, the outstanding quality of milk from our local farming partners, and the dedication of everyone at Belton Farm to producing the very best in British cheese,” he said. Hot on the heels of the award, Belton Farmhas unveiled its Fox Cheese Trio. Bringing together three 100g portions of Silver Fox, Red Fox and Smoked Red Fox, it offers consumers a chance to explore the full Fox range, and is available BELTON FARM CHESHIRE CHEESE CROWNED SUPREME CHAMPION AT ICDAS now for retailing in farm shops and independent food retailers. “The Fox Cheese Trio is our most exciting innovation yet,” Justin continued. “It gives consumers a perfect introduction to our most characterful cheeses, and it’s also a response to clear demand for premium formats with strong gifting appeal.” SUPREME CHAMPION CHEESE BELTON FARM SUPREME CHAMPION CHEESE RESERVE DEWLAY CHEESEMAKERS SUPREME CHAMPION DAIRY PRODUCT LANCASHIRE FARM DAIRIES THE CHAMPION OVERSEAS RYGGE MEIERI RESERVE CHAMPION OVERSEAS ORNUA FOODS THE CHEESE BOARD AWARDS DAUNTSEY PRESERVES SUPREME ARTISAN SPECIALIST CHEESE CORNISH CHEESE CO CHAMPION FRENCH CHEESE SODIAAL UK THE ICDA 2025 WINNERS Awards Season Arrives It’s been a successful summer for Britain’s artisan cheesemakers, who have been picking up prizes for excellence at numerous industry events Cropwell Bishop Stilton beat 220 other varieties to be named Supreme Champion and Best British Blue at the Reiser Virtual Cheese Awards 2025. Made by hand at the family-owned dairy in Nottinghamshire, the awards’ Super Jury (including The Cheese Explorer Emma Young, Bronwen Percival fromNeal’s Yard Dairy, Sarah Miness of Waitrose & Partners and Kay Brennan of Tesco), applauded the cheese for its “buttery, fudgy texture” and “outrageously good, creamy mouthfeel”. Cropwell Bishop director, Robin Skailes, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to win the Supreme Champion, and we really enjoyed hearing the judges’ comments about our cheese. We love making cheese, and to get this recognitionmakes it all worthwhile.” Mrs Bournes Cheshire took second place and Best Territorial, and Montgomery Extra Mature Cheddar took third place and Best Cheddar. BIG WIN FOR STILTON MAKER More than 20 cheese and dairy businesses have taken home prizes from the Cheese and Dairy section awards at the 166th Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate. The Judy Bell Memorial Trophy for Supreme Champion Cheese was lifted by Roger Longman of White Lake Cheese for his Shilling goats’ cheese which, in a first for the show, was also named Reserve Supreme Champion Cheese. The tractor engineer turned goat farmer picked up a further two accolades for Best RawMilk Cheese and Best Specialist Cheesemakers Cheese. “To win both Supreme Champion and Reserve... I’m a bit lost for words,” he said. Other wins included Best Territorial Cheese for Long Clawson with their Red Leicester, Best Speciality Product for Lynher Dairies’ Cornish Kern, and Best Organic Product for Belton Farm’s Organic Mature Cheddar. Caroline Bell, chief cheese and dairy steward, said, “With entries up across the board, it was great to see strong competition in all the categories, particularly speciality cheese, territorials, alternate milk and ice cream. We hosted a judging team of 60 experienced professionals from across the UK cheese and dairy industry, and it was an excellent day of judging. “After class judging and ‘best of’ judging, the quality of the top table was exceptional, so for White Lake Cheeses to make what we believe is history by winning both the Supreme Champion and Reserve Champion cheese was a real accolade for Roger Longman and his team in Somerset.” The David Hartley Memorial Trophy for the Supreme Champion Dairy entry went to farmer owned dairy co-operative South Caernarfon Creameries (SCC) and their Welsh Salted Butter. Meinir Parry, SCC’s sales and marketing coordinator, said: “We’ve entered for many years but this is the first time we’ve won Supreme. It’s come as a surprise. It’s a great achievement.” GYS CELEBRATES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CHEESE AND DAIRY SHOW