A small local cheesemaker from Northumberland has unexpectedly won one of the cheese industry’s highest accolades, the James Aldridge Memorial Trophy.

Berwick Edge is a handcrafted cheese inspired by Dutch Gouda made by Doddington Dairy cheesemaker Margaret-Ann Maxwell, which is primarily sold between Tynemouth and Edinburgh. It is the first cheese from the North-East to be awarded the trophy by the Specialist Cheesemakers Association.

“Every year, Specialist Cheesemakers Association members are invited to nominate British cheeses made from unpasteurised milk for the James Aldridge Memorial Trophy,” said CSA secretary Clare Cheney. “Berwick Edge was nominated by a member and was declared the 2011 winner by the panel as being the best of the 21 cheeses tasted on the day.”

Cheesemaker Maxwell said the award came “completely out of the blue” and that she was “delighted.” 

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Focus On Cheese (04 December 2010)