A FAMILY-owned retailer with stores throughout Cumbria and North Lancashire has taken the International Cheese Awards by storm.

Booths, which specialises in showcasing local and regional foods, won 16 gold medals - eight of them for their own branded cheeses and dairy products.

They include Booths Lancashire crumbly cheese, Booths Grana Padano and Booths clotted cream with brandy.

Booths recently re-developed its whole own label cheese range, working with producers in the UK and Europe.

Other gold medallists included an unpasteurised Gruyère and a Papillion Roquefort.

Booths dairy buyer Alan Kirby said “Booths has a reputation for selling fine cheese, and we have laid a great foundation by stocking the very best from our regions in Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Cheshire.

"We have some highly-skilled cheesemakers here in the North and throughout the UK who make fantastic cheeses ensuring that they reach us at their optimum maturity. Add to that our exceptional cheeses from around the world, many with protected designation of origin (PDO) status, and you have a winning combination!”

“Booths also has a fantastic team of well-trained cheese counter staff, who ensure they are knowledgeable and passionate about our excellent range of cheeses. Our counter teams are there to point cheese lovers in the direction of old favourites and introduce them to new ones."