ONE of Somerset’s finest traditional unpasteurised farmhouse Cheddar makers, Keen’s, based at Moorhayes Farm near Wincanton, has been named as the first People’s Cheese Champion, after three rounds of public voting in a new award organised by campaigning group The Real Cheese Project.

Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar was one of four finalists, voted in the live online final, which was broadcast on Friday 11th October. Cheese lovers across the UK tuned in with their cheese boxes to taste, deliberate and cast their votes, for Blue Stilton by Cropwell Bishop Creamery in Nottinghamshire, Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar, Mrs Bourne’s Cheshire Cheese by Bourne’s Cheshire Cheese in Cheshire, and Thelma’s Original Caerffili by Caws Cenarth in Carmarthenshire.

This latest accolade for the Keen family reflects the enduring popularity of traditional artisan Cheddar. Production began at Moorhayes Farm in 1899 and five generations later, under the stewardship of George Keen, the family is still making cheese with raw milk from their 250-strong herd of Friesian cows. The Extra Mature Cheddar is matured for 18 months to achieve a moist texture and full-bodied flavour, with onion notes and plenty of tang.

People’s Cheese 2024 has been created to get more people eating and talking about Britain’s artisan cheeses, with this year’s Heritage Edition focusing on territorial styles. All named after their original locations, this group of traditional cheeses includes Cheddar, Stilton, Red Leicester, Caerphilly, Cheshire, Double Gloucester, Lancashire and Wensleydale, and the Scottish cheese Dunlop from Ayrshire.

The first two rounds of judging took place at Chiswick Cheese Market, beginning with more than 40 entrants into the nine categories. Hundreds of marketgoers took part and voted for their favourites during these early rounds, ultimately selecting the four finalists.

The final was broadcast from Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese in Lancashire, and presented by comedian and champion of British cheese, Marcus Brigstocke, alongside The Real Cheese Project co-founder, James Grant. The pair were joined by experts including Jane Quicke from Quicke’s, Lucy Cufflin from Chiswick Cheese Market, Jonathan Pearcey from The Crafty Cheese Man and Graham Kirkham from Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese.

The Real Cheese Project was founded this year by a group of cheese lovers to celebrate artisan cheesemakers, support independent cheesemongers and get more people buying the good stuff. Championing real cheese, from the soil up, the organisation is on a mission to showcase and protect real British cheese and the people behind it, through storytelling, research, campaigns, events, collaboration and media exposure.

In September, The Real Cheese Project launched a monthly subscription box, created to promote Britain’s artisan cheese makers. Each Cheese Crowd box will come with a new cheese to try, a monthly cheese magazine, a hand-picked pairing, a pin badge for new subscribers and access to an online tasting to meet the cheesemaker. Five per cent of all profits will go into a Real Cheese support fund, which will be donated to initiatives that protect, develop and progress real cheese in the UK.

Pictured: George Keen.