Lancashire cheesemaker and Cumbrian farmer in Cheshire medal win!!

The Nantwich International Cheese Show is held in a 58,000 sq ft marquee. The estimated 33,000 visitors taste and buy the very finest cheeses from all four corners of the world. With competitive entries of nearly 2700 from some 24 countries this event is billed as The Greatest Cheese Show in the World.

Low Sizergh Farm near Kendal is celebrating with Lancashire cheesemaker Chris Sandham after the organic Lancashire cheese made from the dairy farm’s milk won a gold medal at Nantwich, the world’s largest cheese show.

Cheesemaker Chris Sandham follows an 1892 recipe developed by his grandmother in 1929 and used by his father before him. “I adhere faithfully to the tacit rules of care, quality and tradition of my family and in tribute to them I have produced cheese exactly as they would have done.” The cheese, a creamy Lancashire, is still made by hand in the time honoured traditional style at Rostock Dairy, Barton near Preston. Chris paid tribute to the quality of the Low Sizergh milk: “well done for supplying us with a first grade, top quality milk. As they say, you can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear!”

Farmer Richard Park said: “there are lots of reasons for the special nature of the milk: the organic system, for example, that cares so well for the soil that ultimately nourishes the cows. The cows’ welfare is hugely important as well. Anyone that comes to the farm can see the cows being milked from the tea room viewing windows.”

Low Sizergh Farm is a 325 acre organic dairy farm in the southern Lake District. Diversification into a farm shop and tea room, Low Sizergh Barn, began in 1991 with the aim of linking farmer and producer through best quality farm, local and regional foods.

At the award winning farm shop the cheese is called Kendal Creamy, and has proved to be the most popular of the 60 or so cheeses on offer. Local cafes and shops, including Brockhole near Windermere, Gillam’s Tea Room in Ulverston and Fond Ewe cheese shop in Keswick are just some of the local outlets.