YOU'VE heard of Buffalo Bill ... now meet North Yorkshire's Buffalo Bell.

Judy Bell, whose Shepherd's Purse company claims to be the only blue cheese-maker in the county, is launching a third blue cheese called Buffalo Blue.

Shepherd's Purse, finalists in last year's Evening Press Business of the Year awards, has been successfully producing two blue cheeses at the Bells' farmhouse near Thirsk for several years - Mrs Bell's Blue, made from ewes' milk, and Yorkshire Blue, made from cows' milk. The new Buffalo Blue, is a creamy blue cheese made from buffalo milk. Judy says it is "easy to work with and the end product rich, creamy and moist."

It source is a 130-strong herd of water buffalo owned by Northallerton farmer Paul Langthorne who began breeding the animals when he discovered that while his children were allergic to ordinary dairy products they could drink water buffalo milk with impunity.

Judy regularly experiments with new developments and recipes in her farmhouse kitchen overlooking 400 acres. "We hope this third blue cheese will cement our reputation for excellence in blue cheese making," she said.

The new Buffalo Blue is officially being launched at the British Cheese Awards at Stow-on-the-Wold next month when the complete range of Shepherd's Purse blue cheeses will be on display with more than 600 cheeses from all over Britain.