Great Yorkshire Cheese & Dairy Show
Photo shows Honorary Show Director Christopher Hall (right of pic) with Malcolm Wilkinson, Chief Executive of Moody plc drinking a toast to the success of the event. Moody are sponsors of the new liquid milk classes.
The success of the Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show looks set to continue for a third year as organisers are busy preparing for the 2004 competition.
Sponsored once again by Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, there are a number of new classes covering a wide range of dairy products.
For the first time there will be a children's class, where two teams of four pupils will judge a variety of cheeses using professional criteria before deciding on their favourite. As well as grading the cheeses on texture, body, flavour and appearance, the youngsters will have to give a written summary explaining their choice, and the report will be given to the winning exhibitor.
Another new section is for liquid milk, which aims to promote the quality of the basic ingredient in all dairy products and is sponsored by Moody plc. This is the first time an agricultural show has provided five competitive liquid milk classes, and entry is open to dairy farmers as well as mainstream milk suppliers.
Jayne Hickinbotham of Dee Dairy Services, one of the Cheese & Dairy Show organisers, explained: "Without the raw material we couldn't make any other dairy products. UK milk is some of the highest quality milk in Europe, and it's time we celebrated that fact."
Highlighted classes within the section include Speciality Milk, such as from a ewe or buffalo, and Milk from One Individual Cow – which means every cow from farm favourite Buttercup to one from a championship-winning herd has a chance to compete.
Other innovations at this year's Great Yorkshire Cheese & Dairy Show sees the introduction of low-fat categories in the yoghurt and ice-cream sections, while the former also features a class for luxury desserts such as Deluxe or Greek-style yoghurts.
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The cheese classes are also set to prove as popular as ever, with classes for territorial cheeses such as Wensleydale and Cheshire, cheeses with added flavours and speciality products ranging from goat's milk to cheese made from Channel Island milk.
Exhibitors will also no doubt have several key trophies in their sights, including the Supreme Champion Dairy Product, sponsored by Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, Best Yorkshire Product, sponsored by Wensleydale Dairy Products Ltd, and the Wensleydale Cup for the best Wensleydale cheese.
Judging the Celebrity Choice class this year will be BBC Look North presenters Harry Gration and Christa Ackroyd, who will sample a wide variety of dairy products before selecting the one which tickles their tastebuds the most.
The Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in conjunction with Wensleydale Dairy Products Ltd and Dee Dairy Services.
