Somerset, UK-based cheese maker, White Lake Cheese has done the double at Great Taste 2026, scoring 3-star ratings for two of its hand-crafted cheeses. In a field of 15,000 international entries, both Moo’dy Blue and The English Pecorino achieved the highest possible rating during the blind tasted process, reserved only for products deemed ‘extraordinarily tasty’ by the judging panel.

Released only last year, Moo’dy Blue is a semi-soft blue cheese that honours the legacy of classic French styles like Fourme d’Ambert. It has delicate blue veining to complement the rich creamy texture provided by the golden raw Jersey milk, giving a complex yet mild flavour profile. Great Taste judges described Moo’dy Blue as “an exceptional blue cheese made with real skill to deliver a wonderful, balanced flavour profile,” noting the cheese’s “creamy mouthfeel” and “stunning flavour that is smooth, rich, creamy and on-point with the blue.”

A longer standing favourite, The English Pecorino originally rose to prominence in 2019 when it was named Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards at the first time of asking. The hard sheep’s milk cheese takes inspiration from its Italian cousin, matured for five months to allow optimum flavour development whilst retaining a creamy texture. Judges highlighted how “the rind is very pretty – like elegant brickwork”, before applauding the “mature depth of the cheese, offering a roller-coaster of sweetness and umami with nuttiness following in the wake.”

In addition to Moo’dy Blue and The English Pecorino being among just 1.8% of entries to be awarded a Great Taste 3-star this year, White Lake’s Solstice – a soft Jersey cow’s milk cheese washed in local Somerset Cider Brandy – was also awarded a Great Taste 1-star.

Roger Longman, owner and founder of White Lake Cheese, commented: “This is such fantastic news. To win 3-stars at Great Taste for two products in the same year is beyond exciting, and tells us we’re doing something very right here in the dairy. It’s always great fun to win awards, but more importantly they provide a benchmark to measure our products against. This is the ultimate benchmark for all food and drink the UK and beyond, so we couldn’t be happier to have two cheeses named among the best of the best.”

Moo’dy Blue, The English Pecorino and White Lake Cheese’s full range of cheeses are available to purchase from whitelake.co.uk, as well as from independent retailers across the UK.