Golden Glow in National Awards for Delicious Cookstown Cheddar Cheese
Delicious cheese from Cookstown has been chosen as the ‘Best Irish Cheddar’ in a
prestigious international dairy industry competition.
The winning cheddar is produced by Dale Farm, Northern Ireland’s biggest dairy
business, which picked up an impressive total of 13 awards at the International
Cheese & Dairy Awards & EXPO (ICDA) at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire. Dale Farm is
a FoodNI member.
Dale Farm, a farmers’ co-operative collected two golds, three silver and eight bronze
medals for its successful Dromona range that includes vintage and mature cheddars
from its processing plant at Dunman, near Cookstown, now one of the most
advanced cheese units in Europe. Among the golds was one for ‘Best Retailer
Cheddar’.
ICDA is a two-day competition where expert judges assess the finest products in the
industry from across the world.
The internationally acclaimed cheddar is produced by the operations and retail team
at Dunman, just outside Cookstown, who make and cut the cheddar which is then
graded team for quality and taste.
ICDA is the world’s longest-running and largest dairy awards scheme. For over 125
years, it has championed cheese and dairy producers – offering a fair, respected,
and internationally recognised platform to showcase quality, craftsmanship and
innovation. The event attracted around 5,000 entries from more than 20 countries
and is a fully independent, not-for-profit and industry driven.
Judges assessed the full spectrum of dairy production – from traditional Cheddar and
Red Leicester to butter, cream, yogurt, dips, and plant-based innovations. The
overall ICDA was Lactalis, a cheese from New Zealand.
Dale Farm operates as a major dairy cooperative in the UK, owned by 1,300 dairy
farmers across Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland. The company’s product
portfolio is rooted in grass-fed, Red Tractor-assured dairy. The cooperative, one of
Ireland’s biggest dairy enterprises, offers a range of core health attributes spanning
fresh milk, functional drinks, ice cream, yogurt and sports nutrition.
