BLUE cheese-maker, Shepherds Purse of Thirsk, beat off Scottish competition to win six accolades at the Scottish Food And Drink Excellence Awards.

The largest showcase for food and drink in Scotland, the Royal Highland Show, attracted 150,000 visitors and 2,000 exhibitors.

Shepherds Purse Cheeses, one of only a small number of carefully selected food and drink producers from outside Scotland allowed to compete in the competition, picked up six awards and took the prestigious title of Best Non Scottish entrant overall.

The speciality cheese-maker won gold for its Byland Blue, a traditional English style blue cheese and for Yorkshire Feta, made from 100 per cent ewes' milk.

Smoked Guernsey Gold, a cheddar-style cheese made from Channel Islands milk and Fresh White Buffalo, a soft creamy cheese made from buffalo milk, picked up silver. Yorkshire Feta also won the Best Ewe's Milk cheese category and Byland Blue won Best Speciality Cheese and Reserve Champion for Best Speciality Cheese.

Judy Bell, chief executive of Shepherds Purse Cheeses, said that just being able to enter as one of the few non-Scottish enterprises was an achievement. "Winning six awards is a testament to the absolute dedication and passion that Shepherds Purse has in producing the finest cheeses from the wholesome and quality ingredients."

The winning streak continued at this week's Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, where the company scooped four awards - best speciality cheese for buffalo with red bell pepper and balsamic, second in the soft blue cheese class; second in the buffalo cheese class for Buffalo Blue; and runner-up with Olde York in the speciality ewe's milk category.

Updated: 11:19 Friday, July 15, 2005