Belton cheese - the secret behind all the awards

And one Shropshire farm has perfected the process to be crowned producer of some of the best cheeses in the world.

Ranging from cheddars to Shropshire blue, Belton Cheese has been awarded countless times for their outstanding products, all made on the farm in Whitchurch.

And with Belton having tasted success across the board, there must be a secret to their 15 different ranges.

"It's all about the milk," said marketing manager Alison Taylor.

"You have to have good quality fresh milk, and that's very important."

With the whole process starting with the all-important cows, all milk is sourced from within a 25-mile radius and the company use 85 local producers, 10 of which are organic.

Mrs Taylor said: "It's really key to have good quality milk as you really can taste it in the cheese.

"And we ensure that all the milk is collected every day so it is as fresh as possible."

After the milk is collected, it is cooled and taken to the farm in storage silos where it is tested for any unwanted substances, after which it is either rejected, or stored to make cheese the next morning.

Mrs Taylor said: "I think people are usually surprised at just how much skill goes into cheese making.

"The graders and cheese makers are very talented and it is all monitored carefully throughout the process."

After being pasteurised to get rid of any harmful micro-organisms, the milk is poured into vats and a starter culture is added.

"It used to be all about where the cows ate that gave the cheese the taste," Mrs Taylor said.

"So, for example, Cheshire cheese generally has a salty flavour because of the fields on the salt planes in the area that the cows would graze on.

"Now the starter culture gives some of that flavour."

The curds are then ripened and the curds and whey are heated, stirred and the cheese maker monitors this when it is on the curding table.

It is then salted to stop any further acidification before it is pressed and packaged, all closely monitored by the skilled workers.

And it's a system that's been perfected since the Beckett family started on the farm in 1920.

After eventually buying the farm, they began making Traditional Cheshire Cheese in the 70s, which has become a famous product for the business.

Mrs Taylor said: "We have 85 workers at the site, and all of them are very skilled.

"They have to be to make sure that the curd is the correct firmness and it is always at the right stage.

"The cheeses are moulded and packaged differently depending on our customer and it does produce a different taste, which people may not realise."

But it's clear that judges realise such skill, having won more than 10 awards this year alone.

And oddly enough, there's a whole lot more to ceremony preparation than simply bringing along your best cheese.

"It's like a big night out for our cheeses I suppose," said Mrs Taylor

"They all get graded and then show dressed, so there's quite a bit of preparation!

"Our grader first makes sure the cheese is of the best quality and then it goes into the dressing stage."

Depending on how the cheese is made, its corners are angled to perfection before it is wrapped in muslin cloth or saran by experienced show dressers.

After that, it's all down to the cheese to impress a panel of esteemed judges.

"I suppose we are very proud of our Best English Cheese award at the British Cheese awards, and different countries take a real notice of that," she said.

"We export to countries around the world and to have that award is a real benefit."

And with the International Cheese Awards 2014 in Nantwich next week, the company are keeping fingers crossed to continue their success.

"You can't think you'll always win them because you have to keep improving.

"It is very competitive and you do eye up the competition, but often it's nice to see certain cheeses win different awards."

And whilst the judges might not be sampling it on a slice of toast, there's no doubt Belton cheese will continue to be popular amongst the public too.

Mrs Taylor said: "Well, it's the perfect fast food isn't it - if you've got cheese in the fridge you're sure to be able to have a quick and delicious meal."

For more information on the range of cheeses and awards, visit www.beltoncheese.co.uk

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FACT BOX

And the best accompaniment for award-winning cheese?

- The company now makes regional cheeses, organic cheeses, and vat made blended cheeses and suggests that each should be enjoyed in a different way.

- Alison Taylor says there's not much better than topping chilli con carne with the Red Fox cheese, or sprinkling it over a jacket potato.

- Impress guests by serving Bowland Cheese of apples and raisins as a great desert cheese alongside their Wensleydale and Cranberry.

- For a real showstopper, the green veined Sage Derby should take centre stage at Christmas and parties.

- And for the perfect summer meal, put some homemade pork burgers on the barbecue and top with a slice of melting Belton Red Leicester.

- But Belton also suggest using their cheeses within dishes, such as the Cheshire Cheese in a smoked salmon quiche.

- And if you really can't resist putting your cheese on toast, try making it more exciting with a Cheshire Cheese and honeyed apricot melting brioche.