Leading cheese brand Ilchester, which is also the home of cheese curators and master blenders, is celebrating winning a Gold Award in the Best New Dairy Product category at the prestigious International Cheese Awards 2024 in Staffordshire.
The West Country cheese producer scooped the accolade for its brand-new Dirty Toppers Fragrant and Mild Katsu Curry cheese, which only launched in May this year.
Dirty Toppers are a new innovation in cheese experiences and bring a big eating-out trend – think loaded fries, wedges and nachos – into the home. The chunky cheddar cheese melts nicely on top of fries, nachos, pasta, jacket potatoes, burgers, garlic bread… the list is endless.
Ilchester opted to create the Dirty Toppers flavour in Fragrant and Mild Katsu Curry due to the popularity of katsu dishes in the UK with Brits seeking out world flavours making Ilchester’s master blenders think that the katsu curry’s rich and sweet ingredients mixed with the award-winning Ilchester cheddar cheese would create the perfect milder Dirty Topper for foodies looking to add some mild spicy flavours to some of the nation’s most popular dishes.
The toppers also speedy meal options, particularly when cooked in an air fryer.
Ilchester is part of the Norseland group, which is the UK’s number one supplier of blended and snacking cheese, and another one of its brands, spicy Mexicana cheese in slices format, won a Silver Award in the Best Sandwich Cheese Product.
Mexicana Cheese fuses Ilchester cheese with a warming blend of 14 Mexican spices plus an abundance of red and green bell peppers and jalapeño chilli peppers. This ICDA award is the sixth accolade for this firey cheese in five awards.
Speaking about the awards success, Ffion Davies, Senior Brand Manager for Ilchester and Mexicana, said: “We are over the moon to scoop the new product award for the Dirty Toppers; we only launched them in May so we couldn’t be happier. Dirty Toppers are ground-breaking when it comes to cheese experiences, there is nothing like them on the market, so we are thrilled that the ICDA judges have recognised their innovation, tastes and flavours.
“And it’s great that Mexicana has been recognised again for its incredible flavours and versatility. It truly is a great addition to any sandwich, so we are thankful to the judges for awarding the Silver Award in the Best Sandwich Cheese Product category to the nation’s favourite spicy cheese!”
Dirty Toppers with Fragrant and Mild Katsu Curry are available to buy in Farmfoods and in SPAR stores across the southwest of England and Scotland, in 160g packs. Mexicana Cheese is available to buy at all major supermarket groups including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose.