A RECENTLY-LAUNCHED cheese from a North Yorkshire creamery has won its second major deal in only a few weeks.

The Jervaulx Blue cheese, made by the Wensleydale Creamery, will now be sampled by British Airways’ first and business class passengers after the Dales business struck a supply contract with the aviation firm.

About 3,750kg of the awardwinning cheese will be supplied to British Airways during the deal, which has been in place for the last few weeks and will recommence from October to February.

It marks the latest success for the cheese, which was launched in April, and last month won a deal with supermarket chain Waitrose to see it stocked in more than 300 of its UK stores.

Jervaulx Blue also won a Great Taste Award, which is one of the UK’s most important food accolades. It secured the highest honour of threestar gold, which is reserved for products that are considered faultless.

David Hartley, managing director of Wensleydale Creamery, which is internationally famous for its Real Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese, said he is proud to see another of its creations achieve such success.

He said: “These contracts with such a high-profile company are a fantastic endorsement for our Jervaulx Blue cheese.

“Serving Jervaulx Blue to British Airways’ first and business class passengers perfectly complements Jervaulx Blue being awarded three gold stars in the Great Taste Awards.”

The cheese, which sold out at its launch at the Dales Festival of Food and Drink, represents a multi-million pound investment for the Hawesbased Creamery and is the most significant product launch for this year.

It is expected to further contribute to the growth of the business, which already attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year to the Dales.

The product’s name is in tribute to more than eight centuries of cheesemaking in the Yorkshire Dales, having being called after the county’s famous Jervaulx Abbey, where Cistercian monks originally crafted Wensleydale cheese in about 1150.

The blue cheese is aimed at the sector of the market that is adopting a more continental taste and blends the traditional blue cheese characteristics with a more creamy and sophisticated texture.