Shepherds Purse, the Thirsk-based cheesemaker, is enjoying a double celebration this week as it won Supreme Champion at the Great Yorkshire Show, on top of celebrating its 35th anniversary.

The cheesemaker first launched at the Great Yorkshire Show in 1989 when its founder, the late Judy Bell, took her innovative sheep’s milk "Feta" (now Mrs Bell’s Salad Cheese), with mixed responses from farmers who weren’t used to eating cheese made from sheep’s milk.

Fast forward 35 years and for the first time ever at the Great Yorkshire Show, Shepherds Purse has won Supreme Champion for its newly launched Organic Yorkshire Blue cheese. The judges described the winner as having “a creamy texture with elegant, sweet notes, buttery, creamy, indulgent and well balanced. A well-deserved winner.” Judy's daughters, who now run the firm, have dedicated their win to their mum.

The family’s first organic cheese also won major trophies in the Best Organic Product in Show and Best Yorkshire Product in Show classes as well as Mrs Bell’s Blue securing the Best Blue Cheese in Show trophy – a hotly contested category. On top of these wins there were also six golds, three silvers and five bronze awards for the cheese making family.

Judy famously started the business by making cheese only from sheep’s milk as a way to offer tasty cheese to those affected by allergens. Today, the family dairy is run by Judy’s daughters, joint managing directors Katie Matten and Caroline Bell, who have led the business and its growth since 2012.

It now produces 11 cheeses, made with a variety of milks including sheep, cow, water buffalo, and most recently organic local cows' milk.

Katie said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win the Supreme Champion Cheese award at the Great Yorkshire Show and to win it for the first time on our 35th anniversary is beyond special.

“It’s such a fitting tribute to our mum, especially as she’d always wanted to launch an organic cheese. Caroline and I feel proud that we have delivered her ambitions and so this win really does seem like the perfect way to celebrate the journey we’ve been on as a family and a business. Our 35th anniversary feels like a significant milestone after the sadness of losing mum but we now look to the future as we continue to produce our world-class cheeses and to fly the flag for Yorkshire cheesemaking.”

Shepherds Purse has grown its reach with its range of award-winning cheeses, and its Yorkshire Blue is being "served" at this year’s Wimbledon tournament.

Caroline added: “The Great Yorkshire Show feels like home to us so celebrating our 35th anniversary here with colleagues, friends and family is a real joy and privilege.

“It’s exciting to see our cheese being enjoyed on planes, trains and even at tennis tournaments! We are excited to continue the work mum started and we have big ambitions for the next 35 years and beyond. We continue to be focused on producing delicious and nutritious cheese which balances the needs of both people and planet and creates a sustainable future for everyone.”

Since it launched at the Great Yorkshire Show in 1989 the cheesemaker has won in excess of 400 awards. It made history this year by being the first producer to win two Category Gold awards at the Virtual Cheese Awards for its Buffalo Blue and Yorkshire Blue cheese as well as winning three golds at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards which included a Gold for its newly launched Organic Yorkshire Blue.