After a successful Great Yorkshire Show, cheese producers Brian and Esme Dedman are far from feeling blue. Stuart Laundy met them.

THE success of Teesdale Blue cheese at the Great Yorkshire Show still hasn’t quite sunk in for its makers, Brian and Esme Dedman.

“We put the cheese into the show to get the judges’ comments. We thought we would get valuable feedback,”

said Mrs Dedman.

The judges were impressed.

Teesdale Blue bagged a best in class prize and also received a Prince of Wales Award for Outstanding Quality.

Mr and Mrs Dedman’s other cheese, White Hilton, took second spot in its class and was also nominated for a Prince of Wales award, making a shortlist of just 14 dairy products on view at the show.

Working as Leaside Cheesemakers from their farmhouse at Hilton, near Ingleton, County Durham, Mr and Mrs Dedman only brought Teesdale Blue to the market in June last year.

“It’s meant to be a retirement job, but it’s got quite full on,” said Mrs Dedman.

They bought West Leaside Farm in 1989 and kept sheep – Jacobs and Texels – while working, Mr Dedman as a businessman and his wife most recently as an assistant at Bishop Auckland College.

“I retired and when Esme decided to retire as well we thought we should do something on the farm. We deliberated and decided to make cheese,” said Mr Dedman, 61.

His wife takes up the story.

“My degree is in microbiology and with that background, blue cheese interests me. It is something I thought I wonder how its works.

“I went on a course to find out how to make it and what really kicked it off was the loan of some equipment which got us from the pot and pan stage to the vat stage.”

Milk is supplied from a neighbouring dairy herd and the cheesemaking operation takes place in their utility room.

A stable has been converted into a cold store, where the cheese is matured for at least five weeks.

After nine months of development and trying out the cheese on family and friends in the village, they approached Barnard Castle Farmers’ Market and took a stall in June last year.

Mr Dedman said: “We never really thought anyone would buy it until someone actually handed money over.”

They came up with White Hilton – a European-style soft cheese – as something else to offer customers.

And the couple plan to remain small-scale producers, happy to sell the cheese at farmers’ markets, food festivals and through local restaurants and eateries.

“It’s lovely that people appreciate what you do. If we can make enough cheese for people who want to buy it from the farmers’ market and local restaurants, that’s as far as we want to go.

“We just want a small artisan business,” said 60-yearold Mrs Dedman.

The couple’s three daughters – Alex, Kate and Sophie – live and work away from Teesdale, but have kept an eye on their parents’ efforts from afar.

“They are really delighted that we have found something we are interested in,”

said Mr Dedman.

“It is not your average retirement and they are quite amazed we have produced something like this.”

The couple wish to thank South West Durham Enterprise Agency and the North Pennine Dales Leader Fund along with the advice they received from Durham County Council’s environmental health team when they were establishing the venture.