A YORKSHIRE Dales cheesemaker is celebrating after picking up two food awards in one week.

The Wensleydale Creamery, based at Hawes, made the cut at the Farm Business Cream Awards where its Special Reserve Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese secured the Taste of Excellence Award.

And just four days later the producer's Yorkshire Yogurt was highly commended and won runner up in the Yorkshire Life Food &

and Drink Awards.

David Hartley, managing director of The Wensleydale Creamery, said: “It’s an exciting time for The Wensleydale Creamery, having opened phase one of our new Yorkshire Wensleydale Visitor Experience and welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales to see the art of cheese-making in our new Creamery.

"To top things off with further award wins is a great triumph and we’re thrilled to be recognised for excellence for both Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and Yorkshire Yogurt.”

This week’s award wins are the latest in a long line of accolades for the cheesemaker which have included scooping titles at the International Cheese Awards at Nantwich and the 2015 Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show.

The producer's artisan range of cheeses was also featured at Cheese 2015, an international celebration of all things dairy held by Slow Food, in Bra, Italy, which was held last month (September) and attended by more than 270,000 visitors.

Earlier this month The Wensleydale Creamery welcomed the Prince of Wales to see the art of cheese-making in the Yorkshire Dales and sample its range of award-winning cheeses.

The visit marked a significant milestone for cheese-making at Hawes as it nears completion of a major £5 million investment in its facilities and Visitor Centre.

For more information on The Wensleydale Creamery visit www.wensleydale.co.uk