ISLE of Man Creamery's Vintage Cheddar has won a prestigious Gold Award in the cheese category at The Grocer Food and Drink Awards.

The awards, announced at an event at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in London, reward the most outstanding products in a variety of branded food and drink categories, ranging from dairy to confectionery. 

The judging process involved extensive consumer research conducted by independent market research company Cambridge Market Research. 

An expert panel of judges with retail, manufacturing and marketing backgrounds judged the final stage. 

Finalists in all categories were judged on innovation, packaging and presentation and product performance.

TV presenter Dick Strawbridge, a finalist in BBC's Celebrity MasterChef, presented the Gold award winners with their awards.

Production manager at Isle of Man Creamery Martin Barber said: "I was delighted to receive this award and would like to thank all the cheesemakers at the creamery for all their hard work and dedication in making our award winning cheeses."

 
Managing director Findlay Macleod said: "This is fantastic news for the creamery.

"Winning a Gold Award at The Grocer Food and Drink Awards is an outstanding achievement and a real tribute to everyone involved.

"The competition in this category was extremely high and included all major competitors in the cheese industry.

"This award is a true reflection of the quality of our award winning Vintage Cheddar."