A CHEESEMAKER from Montgomeryshire has taken home a prestigious award despite being relatively new to the craft.

Teacher-turned-cheesemaker Clare Jones has won Best Welsh Cheese at the World Cheese awards for her Trefaldwyn Blue cheese.

The award marks the end of a six month journey in which Trefaldwyn Blue earned received two stars at the Great Taste awards and saw success at the Artisan Cheese awards.

Clare’s cheese was launched two years ago at Montgomery Christmas market, but production was halted in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resuming in 2021 with Trefaldwyn Blue, named for her home town, earning a slew of accolades.

Clare said: “After the surprise of winning two stars at the Great Taste Awards, I thought I’d give the World Cheese Awards a go. To send it there took a lot of documentation, and I really didn’t think I’d get anywhere in the competition. So, when I heard I’d won a gold award and then the best Welsh cheese award, I was blown away.”

Clare’s new career as a cheesemaker is far removed from her time spent teaching, saying: “After 18 years of teaching, I wanted to have a better work-life balance, and I’d always fancied running my own business. While on holiday, my husband and I talked about Montgomery and how it has become quite a foodie area. Still, no one appeared to be making cheese. So, I booked myself on a cheesemaking course and went from there.”

After hearing positive feedback from friends and family and deciding to pursue the craft further, Clare crossed paths with the Cywain Project, a scheme that helps food and drink producers throughout Wales grow and develop their business. They offer support in a number of areas, such as marketing, brand development and finance.

Clare said: “Cywain have been brilliant; they have given me lots of support – including branding and mentoring. They understand the hoops I have to jump through and have pointed me in the right direction and put me in touch with the right people with the expertise to help me grow my business.”

With Cywain’s support, Clare says she is ready to take her business to the next level, and is looking for premises near Montgomery.