‘Simply the best’ for Artisan Cheese from Down in Irish Awards
The best blue cheese on the island of Ireland is hand crafted in a small dairy near
Newtownards in Co Down.
Young Buck Blue cheese from Mike Thomson, the owner of Mike’s Fancy Cheese
(MFC), was named by food experts last week as Best in Class in
the Blue Cheese category in the CAIS Irish Cheese Awards at a gala presentation in
Tipperary. The Co Down cheesemaker also gained a gold medal in the prestigious
awards which are focused on farmhouse and artisan cheeses.
The 2026 CAIS Irish Cheese Awards, sponsored by Bord Bia, the Irish food
promotion board, brought together Ireland’s farmhouse cheesemakers, supporters,
food writers, judges and industry friends for a colourful celebration of Irish farmhouse
cheese.
The overall winner was Leitrim Hill Creamery for a raw milk goat cheese Cnoc
Liatroma.
Founded in 1983, CAIS represents Ireland’s farmhouse cheeses and organises the
awards every two years. The farmhouse cheese sector in the Republic of Ireland is
particularly strong and internationally successful.
Mike’s Fancy Cheese, founded in November 2013, is one of Northern Ireland’s most
successful artisan cheeses. It’s a raw milk cheese that Mike developed based on his
experience in cheese retailing in Belfast and a period studying production techniques
in England.
The company’s main product is Young Buck blue, a cheese which has won UK Great
Taste and other national awards for quality and taste. The cheese is featured at delis
here and in the Republic.
Mike, commenting on the latest award, said: ‘It’s a tremendous boost for my cheese
to gain such recognition in the Irish awards. We already distribute the cheese to
many shops and restaurants in the Republic and will benefit from such significant
recognition in the influential awards.
“Featuring in the awards will help to increase awareness of Young Buck throughout
the Republic, an important market for us,” he adds.
Mike trained at the School of Artisan Food in England and worked in a dairy thre
before returning to Northern Ireland to realise a dream of setting up on his own
cheese business. He achieved this using a crowdfunding campaign.
He has also gained experience from Neal’s Yard Dairy, one of Britain’s biggest
artisan cheese businesses, and from working at the Arcadia in Belfast, Northern
Ireland’s award winning deli.
Mike also runs his own cheese shop in Belfast.
