Supreme Success at the Great Yorkshire Show 2026
The Great Yorkshire Show took place last week in Harrogate and as ever it was a super busy week for our team with the Cheese & Dairy Awards, the annual Charity Cheese Auction, and of course our Shepherds Purse stand sampling and selling cheese across all four days.
One of our favourite shows and just up the road from the farm, it’s always a fantastic four days and a real celebration of food and farming. This year however, has been extra special with some truly fantastic results for our cheeses, and one of our most successful to date.
We’re so proud and absolutely delighted to share that our Organic Yorkshire Blue not only took home Gold in the Best Organic Cheese category, but also went on to be named Supreme Champion Cheese, awarded the prestigious Judy Bell Memorial Trophy, named in honour of our pioneering founder.
The award is the highest accolade in the Cheese & Dairy section at the Show, and chosen from hundreds of entries, across a huge range of categories from cheese and yoghurt to ice cream, butter, cottage cheese and milk.
This year’s judges were a stellar line up of fellow cheesemakers and producers, supermarket buyers and product developers who provided fantastic feedback on all the entries and noted Organic Yorkshire Blue as a "beautiful blue veined cheese, slight peppery flavour, sweet and savoury, nicely balanced. A worthy winner up against tough competition."
Alongside this incredible achievement, our other cheeses also did us proud, receiving an outstanding 20 awards in total.
Our Blue cheeses did particularly well with Buffalo Blue enjoying another exceptional year, winning Gold in the Blue Vein Soft UK class, Gold in the Buffalo Blue Cheese class, while also being recognised as both Best Blue Cheese and Best Specialist Cheese Makers Cheese.
Harrogate Blue was awarded Gold and named Class Winner in the Blue Vein Soft Cow's Milk class before adding further medals in the Specialist Cheese Makers and Consumer Choice competitions.
Yorkshire Blue secured multiple Gold awards, including both the Specialist Cheese Makers Blue Cheese class and the Consumer Choice Blue Cheese category, which is judged by the public during the show and is a lovely reminder that it’s not just the industry experts who love our cheese!
Our ewe's milk cheeses also impressed the judges, with Mrs Bell's Blue taking Gold and Silver across two specialist classes, while Mrs Bell's Salad Cheese collected Silver and two Bronze awards.
Our Joint MD Katie Matten said: “The Great Yorkshire Show is now becoming one of the UK's most respected dairy competitions, attracting entries from many of the country's leading cheesemakers. To be recognised across so many categories, and to be awarded the competition's highest honour is a tremendous achievement for everyone here at Shepherds Purse.
“These award wins are a reflection of the dedication and expertise of our entire team. From sourcing exceptional milk to carefully handcrafting every cheese, we're incredibly proud of everyone involved in producing cheeses that continue to be recognised among the very best in Britain and beyond.”
2026 results round-up
Supreme Champion Cheese: Organic Yorkshire Blue
Best Blue Cheese: Buffalo Blue
Best Specialist Cheese Makers: Buffalo Blue
Best Organic Cheese: Organic Yorkshire Blue
🥇 12 Gold Awards
🥈 4 Silver Awards
🥉 4 Bronze Awards