TUNWORTH, a soft cow’s milk cheese made in Herriard, has won the title of Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards 2013.

Tunworth has a creamy texture with a thin wrinkled rind. It has a yellow, luscious, almost runny interior that tastes like melted butter and wild mushroom soup, with just a dash of sherry.

Hampshire Cheeses was also awarded Best New Cheese for its Winslade, a creamy washed rind cheese that is wrapped in a spruce band.

Hampshire Cheeses is owned by Stacey Hedges and Charlotte Spruce and was founded in 2005.

Stacey, originally from Sydney, Australia, had worked part-time in a cheese shop whilst studying at university and found it inspirational.

Twenty years later with an English husband and three young children she found herself living in rural Hampshire and her thoughts returned to that Sydney cheese shop.

Stacey began making cheese in her kitchen before it soon became clear that she would need a purpose-built creamery to fulfil her dream.

From the start, Randolph Hodgson, owner of Neal's Yard Dairy, gave her support and advice, and encouraged her to make a soft cow's milk cheese with a depth of flavour covered by a delicate, thin rind.

In May 2006, Hampshire Cheeses moved into its first tiny creamery and in September of the same year, Tunworth became Britain's Supreme Champion Cheese at the British Cheese Awards beating more than 800 other cheeses.

It was a truly astonishing result for such a small and young company.

Further success has followed in many areas every since then, including being awarded the title of Waitrose's Small Producer of the year and a gold medal in the World Cheese awards.

Stacey said: “I am so delighted to have won these awards. It is a fantastic achievement for a small business and I am very proud of our success.”