The bite
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People’s Cheese 2026: Britain’s Best New Cheese
The cheese awards of the people is back for 2026! This year, we’ll be championing British & Irish cheeses, with the support of our friends Chiswick Cheese Market, who are sponsoring People’s Cheese 2026: Britain’s Best New Cheese.
THE STORY: New Forest Shortbread
Handmade, buttery, and rooted in the New Forest, this is the story behind the biscuit chosen by The Real Cheese Project for our Cheese Crowd subscribers tasting box.
HERO CHEESE: Young Buck
A new generation of cheesemakers is reshaping Britain and Ireland’s cheese landscape blending heritage with bold innovation. Meet Mike Thomson, the “accidental cheesemaker” behind Young Buck, the raw milk blue that put Northern Ireland back on the cheese map.
HERO CHEESE: Saval
Artisan cheese is living heritage, with traditions and techniques passed down and adapted through generations.
At Glynhynod Farm in West Wales, Robert Savage of Caws Teifi continues that story with Saval, the UK’s first semi-hard washed rind cheese.
A tale of legacy, adaptation and real cheese crafted from the soil up.
HERO CHEESE: Meeny Hill Goat
Introducing our first ever hero cheese from Northern Ireland - the hard, rich and mild mannered Meeny Hill Goat from Dart Mountain in Co. Derry.
The ‘Queen of Cheddar’ at 70
As Mary Quicke MBE has celebrated her 70th birthday recently, we asked her about her significant contribution to cheese, food and farming, and what’s now at the top of her to-do list.
CHALLENGE THE CHEESEMONGER: Indie Füde
Keith Kendrick taps into cheesemonger wisdom with a special order. This time, we’re with Johnny McDowell from Indie Füde in Northern Ireland.
HERO CHEESE: Lanark Blue
Made with raw ewe’s milk, Lanark Blue was the first ever cheese produced by legendary Scottish cheesemakers, Errington Cheese, over 40 years ago.
CHEESE TRAVELS: Pick & Cheese, Berlin
Having opened the world’s first cheese conveyor belt restaurant in 2019, when Pick & cheese London took its place at the heart of Seven Dials Market, cheese-centric restaurateur, Mathew Carver has now exported the concept to Germany.
WINE PAIRING: Shilling X Touraine Sauvignon
Our resident wine expert, Katherine Dart from Grape & Nectar, takes us through her pairing suggestions for June’s hero cheese - Shilling by White Lake Cheese.
HERO CHEESE: Shilling
One of the latest creations from relentless innovator and goat’s cheese superstar, Roger Longman at White Lake Cheese, Shilling is a West Country take on Crottin - a Loire Valley classic.
CHEESE TRAVELS: Rolling Cheese, Helsinki
Located along the historic Museokatu in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, Rolling Cheese - founded by Finnish-British couple, Nelli and Peter Steer - stands alone as the only bricks-and-mortar cheese shop in Finland.
SHOP TALK: Jordan Thomson, Love Cheese
We’re in the northeast for our latest Shop Talk, chatting with Jordan Thomson from York-based cheese and wine store, Love Cheese.
WINE PAIRING: Seven Sisters X Figgie Daniel
Our resident wine expert, Katherine Dart from Grape & Nectar, takes us through her pairing suggestions for May’s hero cheese - Seven Sisters by High Weald Dairy.
HERO CHEESE: Seven Sisters
Named after the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs in East Sussex, this is a buttery and unctuous semi-soft sheep’s milk cheese, coated in a layer of nutritious seaweed, sustainably harvested on the Hebridean coastline. Bold, but beautifully balanced, Seven Sisters is a perfect introduction to High Weald Dairy.
Affineur of the Year 2025
Affineur of the Year is set to return on Tuesday 3 June, with the Academy of Cheese once again inviting cheese lovers and cheese pros to come together in a joyous celebration of cheese aging craft. We caught up with Tracey Colley to find out more.
Choosing the slow path
On a patch of earth near the village of Graffham in West Sussex, cheese is being made in harmony with the land, its soil and the animals who graze upon it. Katie Forman and Brett Sacks founded Slow Grown Farm in 2021, and with a clean slate to work with, they’ve designed everything to do better by the environment, better by their animals and better by cheese lovers. We chatted with Brett, to find out more.
CHALLENGE THE CHEESEMONGER: Calder Cheesehouse
Keith Kendrick taps into cheesemonger wisdom with a special order. This time, we’re with Jay Hickson at Calder Cheesehouse in West Yorkshire.
HERO CHEESE: Kingcott Blue
Made in Kent with raw milk from the Reynolds’ happy herd of VikingReds, Kingcott Blue is a lightly veined, semi-soft blue cheese, with a smooth blue flavour profile. Getting stronger with age, the cheese develops from delicate and creamy to a little more powerful and punchy over a matter of weeks.
SHOP TALK: Carolyn Hopkins, The Truckle Truck
We’re on the road with Carolyn Hopkins, founder of Dorset’s own cheese shop on wheels, The Truckle Truck.