Cheese news: What’s happening in the world of cheese and dairy right now?

New cheesemaker launches cheese in educational push

A newly launched small-scale, award-winning cheesemaker based at The School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck Estate is spearheading a project to communicate the natural variation and seasonality of raw milk cheese to consumers. 

As part of the project, Primrose Creamery have launched Eggleston Reserve – a further-aged, limited edition seasonal version of its washed rind lactic cheese, Eggleston, and is supporting the launch with detailed batch and field notes to accompany the cheese. The notes include information such as weather conditions, pasture changes, make adjustments and affinage decisions to educate consumers about raw cheese. 

They are designed to “help bridge the gap between producer and consumer, and demystify the world of raw cheese,” according to Jake Goldstein, founder. 

“One of the things we’ve found is that people are often used to thinking of cheese as a highly standardised product, whereas with raw milk cheeses the milk is constantly changing through the seasons and that has a genuine impact on flavour, texture and behaviour. 

“Raw milk cheese can also occasionally receive negative or oversimplified press, so we’re interested in finding better ways to communicate what makes these cheeses special, while also helping people understand the skill, care and decision-making involved in producing them responsibly.

Real Cheese Project finalists revealed

The Real Cheese Project, supported by Chiswick Cheese Market, has announced the finalists for People’s Cheese 2026: Britain’s Best New Cheese, and is inviting people to reserve a tasting box and join the judging panel for the online final taking place Saturday 17th October 2026. 

Over 500 people – double the number of judges from 2025’s initiative – tasted over 20 newly launched cheeses from across the UK and Ireland on 17th May to create the list of cheeses entering the final stage of the competition. 

The four finalists are Lindley, a lactic cows’ cheese made with raw milk by Jake Goldstein at Nottinghamshire’s Primrose Creamery; Jemima Wild Filly, a Caerphilly-style cheese with wild garlic made using pasteurised milk from the cheesemaker’s own herd of Jersey cows by Alan Latter from Caws Pencw in Fishguard; Tuppence, a small yeast-ripened goat’s button made using unpasteurised milk and the cheesemaker’s own goat’s milk by Roger Longman at Whitelake Cheese; and Carreg Las, crafted by Carwyn Adams at Caws Cenarth, a semi-hard sheep’s blue made in Carmarthenshire, Wales with pasteurised milk. 

The live online final will be broadcast on Saturday 17th October at 7pm and hosted by comedian and International Cheese Judge Marcus Brigstocke, alongside The Real Cheese Project’s James Grant and a panel of experts. Viewers will be invited to vote for this year’s Champion at the end of the event.

New chapter for Param Paneer

Futura Foods’ Param brand has relaunched its paneer with a new focus on its protein content. The change positions paneer as a versatile protein source rather than a product reserved for serving alongside Indian dishes, and thanks to its ultrafiltration production process, Param Paneer has a compact, firm texture that allows it to be served in multiple ways. 

Its mild flavour makes it suitable for serving with a wide variety of meals and its dense texture means that it works well with marinades. 

The product’s packaging has had a refresh too, and is now bold and contemporary – a move away from its previous heritage-rich approach. 

Rhian Newman, head of marketing at Futura Foods, said “Paneer is widely perceived as belonging to one cuisine and a limited number of dishes. In reality, our research shows there is significant opportunity to reposition it for younger consumers, looking for protein-led choices that require minimal preparation, but can still carry bold flavours. 

“Param Paneer delivers higher protein and calcium per 100g than tofu and eggs and as a dairy product, is a complete protein. Positioned alongside meat-free alternatives, paneer offers retailers and consumers alike a versatile vegetarian protein that meets growing demand for experimentation and everyday use.”

Documentary released in effort to save artisan cheese

A new documentary, Cheese – Searching for a Taste of Place has been released on Amazon Prime to educate consumers about the value of artisan cheese and the challenges it faces across the world. 

The third episode, Milk & Microbes, visits Kirkham’s Farmhouse Cheeses in Lancashire and compares the iconic cheese with French Farmhouse Saler cheese. Other episodes cover the artisan cheese industries in America, Australia, France, and Greece and Cyprus. 

Another series named Cheese Slices, originally created in 2001, is also now available to stream or download on Amazon Prime and Apple TV. It consists of six 25-minute episodes dedicated to farmhouse cheesemakers in England, Scotland and Ireland and includes rare historical footage of cheesemaking legends including Veronica Steele, Lucy Appleby, Jeff Reade, Jamie Montgomery and Randolph Hodgson.

Rodda’s to launch cottage cheese

This summer will see production of cottage cheese commence at Rodda’s production site in Scorrier, Cornwall. The business is investing £6 million in a new, state-of-the-art cottage cheese facility in order to ultimately produce 4,000 tonnes of cottage cheese per year inspired by the consumer demand for high-protein, natural dairy products and using surplus skimmed milk.

“As a fifth-generation Cornish dairy business, we’re proud to be investing in a new manufacturing capability in Scorrier and in skilled jobs for local people. It’s a business-led investment that also supports our long-term ambition to run a more efficient manufacturing business here in Cornwall, with our journey increasingly guided by circular-economy principles,” said Nicholas Rodda, managing director of Rodda’s.

“Cottage cheese is one of the fastest-growing dairy categories in the UK, and this facility allows us to respond to that demand while getting more value from every litre of milk we buy from our farming families.

“This more efficient use of our milk intake will not only support farmgate returns, but also provide more predictable demand for farming families in the Rodda’s supply chain, and strengthen domestic food production resilience.”

Artisan Cheese Awards announce 2026 Supreme Champion

A goat’s cheese from County Galway in Ireland has been named Supreme Champion at the 10th edition of the Artisan Cheese Awards. 

Made by Dutch-born Marion Roeleveld at Killeen Farmhouse Cheese, the Gouda-style Extra Mature Goat’s Cheese is made using pasteurised goat’s milk and animal rennet, and aged for between 12-18+ months. 

“In over 70 years of eating cheese that has to be one of the most memorable cheeses I have ever tasted,” said Dr Matthew O’Callaghan OBE, organiser of the Artisan Cheese Awards. “It is certainly the best goat’s cheese in the UK and Ireland. When cut it is brilliant white inside. The texture is a hard, slightly crunchy feel in the mouth. Taste is clean, slightly sweet, nutty, very pleasant and extremely moreish.”

Ilchester creates new formats for Applewood and Mexicana

Blended cheese producer Ilchester have launched Applewood and Mexicana cheeses in a convenient new format. The new 185g bars are designed to increase versatility and inspire creative use of the cheeses in the kitchen, and is more suitable for slicing, grating and cubing than the cheeses’ original format. 

“Our flavoured cheeses have been elevating meals and occasions for more than 60 years – flavour and format innovation is part of our DNA and the new 185g bar adds to this strong heritage,” said James Catchpole, managing director of The Ilchester Cheese Co. 

“This about versatility of usage and increasing suitability for whatever the cooking or enjoyment occasion is. We really believe we’re bringing a format to market that’s going to be extremely well received and securing these additional listings is testament to the strength and popularity of the brands, the ranges, and continued demand from customers.”