Lyburn's Old Winchester
From Mike Smales, Lyburn Farm, Salisbury, Wilts.
Also known as Old Smales, Old Winchester is, an older version of Lyburn's Winchester cheese.
Matured for 18 months, this is now a much dryer and harder cheese, becoming more reminiscent of an Old Amsterdam with a distinctive nuttiness in flavour. Because Old Winchester is made with a vegetarian rennet, on a number of occasions the cheese is being sold, and used as a vegetarian replacement for a hard Italian cheese, and yet can still be used as a table cheese - it therefore has that bit more versatility.
This cheese over the years has won a number of awards, including Best Modern British Cheese in 2006, Reserve Champion Cheese at the Bath and West in 2007, and consistently turns in One, Two and Three Star Gold's at the Great Tate Awards each year.
In 2011 it was 2 Star Gold and 2012 it is a 1 Star Gold and Bronze at the Nantwich Show. Gold at the 2012 British Cheese awards, Bronze in the Export Class and to round the year off a Bronze at the World cheese awards.
2013 gave them another Gold at British Cheese Awards and Bronze at the World Cheese Awards.