One of the easiest ways to 'love local' is to 'buy local' ... so say 'goodbye Gorgonzola' and 'hello to Hawkshead Hootenanny' if you want to help three Appleby men revive cheese-making in the town.

As well as being life-long mates, Maurice Walton, Bob Parmley and Alan Mandle are all former employees of the Express Dairy Company, which closed in the mid-90s.

Maurice and Alan retained connections with the industry but Bob went on to indulge his love of trains by becoming station master at Appleby.

Alan has now retired, but Maurice is the executive director of the Society of Dairy Technicians.

As the years passed the lads - who used to play together in the local brass band - never let go of their cheese-making dream. And when they managed to bag a unit at the Cross Croft industrial estate in Appleby, the adventure began.

The range includes Eden Chieftain, a creamy Cheddar-style cheese; tangy Flakebridge, a coloured cheese; Old Applebian, a crumbly cows' milk cheese made to an old Westmerian recipe; buttery Eden Sunset; Eden Ivory, a hard ewes' milk cheese similar to Manchego; and Hawkshead Hootenanny made from pasteurised goats milk.

To find out more about Appleby Creamery and to discover where you can buy the cheese, see this week's issue of The Westmorland Gazette.