PEOPLE'S CHEESE 2024

For People's Cheese 2024, sponsored by Rowcliffe, we brought you the pillars of British cheese – a group of traditional cheeses known as the ‘territorials’.

Cheddar, Stilton, Red Leicester, Caerphilly, Cheshire, Double Gloucester, Lancashire, Dunlop and Wensleydale are all in the mix.

Following three rounds of judging, we found our Champion. Massive thanks to everyone who got involved - whether you voted, bought a box or shouted about the competition!

Heritage Edition

Photo credit: Matt Austin / Quicke's

PC24 Champ

Extra Mature Cheddar by Keen’s Cheddar

Sponsored by

Our public judging panel joined us every step of the way, and gave us our People’s Cheese 2024 champion!

We went big this year, as we took on Britain’s mighty territorials for the ‘Heritage Edition’ of the competition. More cheeses meant more rounds, and we had an amazing time at Chiswick Cheese Market for the Heats and Semi-Finals, before streaming the final live from Mrs Kirkham’s in Lancashire, hosted by top comedian and cheese champion, Marcus Brigstocke.

The competition’s mission is simple - to get British artisan cheese in front of more people. We definitely managed that (the queue in Chiswick went on and on) – so in a very real way, everyone’s a winner!

In another very real way, Extra Mature Cheddar by Keen’s Cheddar is the winner, having risen to the top over the course of all three rounds.

In the live final on 11 October, Keen’s won the public vote, up against Cropwell Bishop’s Blue Stilton, Bourne’s Cheshire Cheese, and Thelma’s Original Caerffili by Caws Cenarth.

We couldn’t have asked for a more fitting winner of our ‘Heritage Edition’ than this unpasteurised cheddar, which has been in production at Moorhayes Farm in Somerset since 1899. Five generations later, under the stewardship of George Keen, the family is still making cheese with raw milk from their 250-strong herd of Friesian cows – with Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar matured for 18 months to achieve a moist texture and full-bodied flavour, with onion notes and plenty of tang.

Paul Heasman from Rowcliffe, sponsors of People’s Cheese 2024, commented:

“Keen’s Cheddar is a cornerstone of British cheese, and I think this award shows the enduring popularity of traditional clothbound cheddar, well over a century after the Keen family made their first truckle. We’ve loved celebrating Britain’s territorials during this year’s competition, and hope we’ve surprised a few members of the cheese loving public with what’s on offer out there.”

We’d like to say a massive cheesy thanks to all our judges (you lot), our entrants, our expert panel, and our supporters for making People’s Cheese 2024 so special. Look out for details on 2025 very soon…

ARE YOU A Cheese shop?

If you’re a cheese shop and would like to find out more, email: hello@therealcheeseproject.co.uk.

It’s totally free to get involved!