Shepherds Purse triples Sainsbury’s listings for iconic blue cheeses
Credit: Sheperds Purse
Yorkshire artisan cheesemaker Shepherds Purse has extended the listings of its iconic Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue cheeses, both £3.20 for 180g in Sainsbury’s from 27 stores to 94 stores across the North of England.
The two award-winning blue cheeses have been available in 27 predominantly Yorkshire Sainsbury’s stores for several years, but the extended listing will see them on the shelves of an additional 67 stores across Cumbria, South Yorkshire, Northumberland, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cheshire from November 2024.
A long-standing retail partner to Shepherds Purse, Sainsbury’s launched Yorkshire Blue into its regional Yorkshire stores deli counters in the early 2000’s with Harrogate Blue following shortly after its launch in 2012.
Yorkshire Blue was the Thirsk cheesemaker’s first blue cheese made from cow’s milk and was also the first blue cheese to be made in Yorkshire for 30 years, when it launched in 1995 and has since gone on to win a host of awards including a prestigious Gold at the World Cheese Awards 2019. Matured for eight weeks to produce a mild, creamy, sweet cheese with lovely blue veining and a smooth texture, it continues to be one of the family-run businesses most popular.
Harrogate Blue launched in 2012 and was the first cheese co-produced by Judy Bell’s two daughters, Katie Matten and Caroline Bell, after they took over the running of the artisan cheese company. Full bodied in flavour and with a delicious buttery texture, it was awarded a Super Gold at the World Cheese Awards in 2017 which saw it voted the 11th best cheese in the world by a panel of experts, followed by a further 2 Golds at the World Cheese Awards in 2018 and 2019.
Shepherds Purse celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2024 and has established an award-winning range of 10 cow, sheep and buffalo cheeses.
Caroline Bell, joint managing director of Shepherds Purse cheese said: “We’re delighted to extend our current listing for our much-loved Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue with Sainsbury’s, meaning our award-winning artisan cheese will be available in 97 stores across the North of England.
“Yorkshire Blue has been a local favourite for over 20 years in Sainsbury’s, so we’re excited for more people to discover it, along with our Harrogate Blue too, just in time for the festive season and their Christmas cheese boards.”
Zach Nolan, speciality cheese buyer for Sainsbury’s, said: “The extension of this listing and our partnership with Shepherds Purse is the perfect pairing. Their commitment to creating award-winning artisan cheese and Sainsbury’s dedication to stocking high-quality, local products is a match made in heaven. We look forward to even more of our customers across the North being able to sample their delicious products.”
Shepherds Purse, based near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, is an independent family-owned dairy which makes unique world-class cheeses. It was established by Judy Bell MBE in the 1980s and is now run by her two daughters Caroline Bell and Katie Matten. Their cheeses are available across the UK in most major multiples as well as farm shops, independent delicatessens and specialist cheese shops and online at shepherdspurse.co.uk.
