A TOP cheese trophy, which mysteriously disappeared more than 30 years ago, has been returned to its rightful Dales home - thanks to a spot of tenacious detective work by retired creamery worker Derek Ramsden.

The prestigious Wensleydale Trophy, which was first competed for at the London Dairy Show in the late Forties, went missing in about 1970 and its fate since then remained a puzzle.

That is until 74-year-old Mr Ramsden, former staff and production supervisor at the Wensleydale Dairy, original owners and sponsors of the trophy, began his quest to track it down.

Now, the trophy is back on display at the Hawes creamery after the company won its own award on Tuesday for the best Wensleydale cheese at the re-instated Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show in Harrogate.

Mr Ramsden said: "It took me 14 months of making phone calls and writing letters before I traced the trophy - amazingly it was being awarded as a prize in the Holme Valley Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Show in Huddersfield."

The trophy, which was first awarded to a Miss Mudd from Boroughbridge back in the Forties, will now be competed for annually at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Mr Ramsden added: "I was elated to find the trophy after so many years. It is marvellous to see it back in Wensleydale."

Winning its own Wensleydale Dairy Products Trophy at Harrogate was just one of a clutch of awards for the Hawes creamery.

The company's Cheshire cheese brands also carried off two firsts after beating the cream of competition from all over the country.

And the dairy's newest brand, Wensleydale Blue cheese, gained a creditable second place in its section after only a year in production.

The cheese was launched for the first time last year to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Hawes dairy's re-opening after being closed by its former owner.

Two more seconds in the Cheshire class and a third in the Wensleydale class completed the dairy's success, which follows on from its momentous triumph in 2002 when Wensleydale Cheese took the top honours at the first Cheese and Dairy Show to be held at the Great Yorkshire Show in 40 years.

Wensleydale Dairy's production director Alice Amsden said: "These prestigious awards are a great tribute to the skills of our cheese makers who are all delighted to receive them.

"The creamery has gone from strength to strength in the last ten years and we hope that the Great Yorkshire Show cheese competition will also flourish in the coming years.

"It was good to see over 400 entries from a wide range of producers, a significant increase on last year. It is pleasing for the local farmers, who supply the milk to make Wensleydale cheese, to be part of the winning team having only two years ago faced the traumas of foot-and-mouth disease.

Ms Amsden added: "The farmers receive a premium for their milk and this award proves that the cheese makers at Wensleydale make a premium product from it."

Wensleydale Dairy submitted several entries in the Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show and was delighted to collect seven prizes.

Winners received their trophies from Thelma Barlow. Sir Ken Morrison, chairman of the supermarket chain William Morrison plc, the event's sponsors, presented the supreme champion to Cropwell Bishop for its Blue Stilton