THE supreme champion of the 2024 British Cheese Awards has been revealed. 

A small mould-ripened fresh cheese, called Snowdrop, took home the title at the awards on Friday, March 22. 

The 28th British Cheese Awards were held at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset, as part of the Bath & West Food & Drink Festival.

Snowdrop, made by Cote Hill in Lincolnshire, took the top prize above more than 600 entries from across the UK and Ireland. 

The cheese is made by Mary and Michael Davenport at Cote Hill Dairy and was launched just over a year ago. The cheese was named in honour of Cynthia Davenport, who started the dairy at Cote Hill, as snowdrops were her favourite flower.

Snowdrop was descrived as 'soft, smooth and velvety'. It is a raw cow's milk cheese, which is similar in style to a French St Felicien, and it will vary throughout the season as pastures change. 

Mary said: “As a small producer, we are delighted and honoured to be recognised with this prestigious award. It was a huge surprise and totally unexpected as winning Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards is a cheesemaker’s dream.

"Here at Cote Hill we are amazed that such a small cheese should achieve such a prestigious award.”

Trophies were awarded during the awards dinner on the evening of March 22. The Reserve Champion cup was given to Cashel Blue from Cashel Farm Cheesemakers, which also won Best Irish Cheese. 

Tor from White Lake Cheese won Best English Cheese, and Minger from Highland Fine Cheese was awarded Best Scottish Cheese. Best Welsh Cheese went to Gafr Las from Bryngaer Goats.

For more results, click here. 

“It was fantastic to be back at the Bath & West Showground, and to have another Supreme Champion to share with the world," said Julius Longman, chairman of the British Cheese Awards.

"Snowdrop is a perfect example of the innovation and excellence in cheesemaking that is thriving in Britian and Ireland right now, alongside our world class traditional cheeses.

"The British Cheese Awards is a wonderful coming together of the nation’s cheese community and we were delighted to welcome the public into the judging hall over the course of the new Food & Drink Festival. Having showcased hundreds of diverse cheeses from across the UK and Ireland, we hope to have inspired some of the cheesemakers and mongers of tomorrow!”