For National Cheese Day, we are sharing some exciting news from our Botton Village Community in the North York Moors!
Our handcrafted cheeses have won eight national awards at the Artisan Cheese Awards, the UK’s largest cheese competition. Our cheeses were awarded with:
The awards were won by our much-loved Dale End Cheddar and Summerfields Cheese, celebrating the quality, craftsmanship and care that goes into every cheese produced at Botton Creamery.
But for us, these awards represent something even bigger than great cheese.
They celebrate the people, skills, opportunities, and purpose behind every wheel.
At Botton Village, cheese-making is about much more than producing award-winning food.
Botton Village is one of Camphill Village Trust’s nine communities, where we support people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs to live healthier, more active, and independent lives.
Every stage of our cheese-making journey takes place within Botton Village and involves people supported by Camphill Village Trust.
The journey starts on our farm, where people help care for our dairy herd, learning valuable animal care and husbandry skills. They support feeding, welfare, and the day-to-day care of the cows that produce the milk used in our cheeses.
From there, milk is collected and transformed into cheese at our creamery, where people gain hands-on experience in food production and traditional cheese-making techniques.
The finished cheese then makes its way into our cafés, kitchens and shops, where people develop catering, food preparation, customer service and retail skills.
From field to fork, the entire process creates opportunities for people to learn, contribute, and thrive.
The work at Botton Creamery forms part of our Nature-based Therapies and Skills Programmes.
These structured, facilitated programmes support therapeutic goals and skills development through activity in nature and community life.
For different people, this might mean:
The cheese-making journey brings together many of these opportunities.
Working with animals can help build responsibility, confidence, and wellbeing. Learning traditional food production skills develops practical knowledge and teamwork. Retail and café roles help people build communication skills and gain experience interacting with customers.
Every role matters, and every contribution helps create something tangible and valued.
When people buy Dale End Cheddar or Summerfields Cheese, they’re not just purchasing an award-winning product.
They’re supporting a social enterprise that creates opportunities for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs to learn new skills, develop confidence and play an active role in community life.
The success at the Artisan Cheese Awards demonstrates the incredible quality that can be achieved when people are given the right opportunities, support and environment to thrive.
These eight awards belong to everyone involved in the journey; from those caring for the cows and milking in the parlour, to the creamery team crafting the cheese, and the staff and volunteers who help share it with customers.
If you haven’t tried our award-winning cheeses yet, now is the perfect opportunity.
Every purchase helps support Camphill Village Trust’s work creating meaningful opportunities through nature-based therapies, skills development and community life across our communities.
Shop now and discover why our cheeses are winning national awards and supporting meaningful opportunities in our communities.
