A NORTH Yorkshire cheese maker has proved it is world class after beating off competition from round the globe to win a coveted gold gong at the World Cheese Awards.

Shepherds Purse, based in Thirsk, carried off the award for its blue mould ripened cow’s milk cheese, Bluemin White - one of just 60 given the title across the world since the competition started 28 years ago.

It was judged by an international panel of cheese buyers, retailers and food writers at the event in Birmingham’s NEC organised by the UK’s Guild of Fine Food.

The cheese was developed in 2010 by Ms Matten, and has gone from strength to strength. She is the daughter of Judy Bell who set up Shepherds Purse 25 years ago.

Yorkshire Blue, one of the dairy’s best selling cow’s milk blue cheeses, was also awarded a Silver in the British soft blue cheese class at the competition. An established favourite, Bluemin White is no stranger to winning awards, picking up three stars in the Great Taste Awards in 2013.

The 28th World Cheese Awards were held during the BBC Good Food Show attracting entries from more than 25 countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Estonia and South Africa.

This year more than 250 cheese experts from 22 different nations travelled to the event to judge all the cheeses in one single day, tasting more than 2,700 entries in total. Cheeses were judged on rind, body, colour, texture, consistency and most importantly taste.

Ms Matten, a director of Shepherds Purse, said: “We are so proud to receive such a prestigious award for Bluemin White, and for Yorkshire Blue to win too.

"Bluemin White is fast becoming a firm favourite and is officially one of the top 125 tasty foods in the country and now a Super Gold standard cheese. It’s fantastic to be recognised against all these incredible cheeses from around the world and to fly the flag for Yorkshire too”

Judy Bell, whose family have been farmers for five generations set up Shepherds Purse, after studying as a pharmacist and realising more and more people were being diagnosed with allergies to cows milk.

Her sheep cheese quickly became famous and the company have grown to develop a range of speciality artisan cheeses using local cows milk and ewe’s milk. The company based on Leachfield Grange Farm, at Newsham, near Thirsk now employs 30 staff, with Judy recently handing over the reins to daughters Katie and Caroline.