AN outstanding sheep’s milk cheese, White Lake’s Pavé Cobble, is now back on cheese counters following huge demand after the Somerset-produced ash-coated cheese was placed 12th overall in the 5,244 entries for the World Cheese Awards.

Produced at Bagborough Farm by third generation farmer Roger Longman, Pavé Cobble is White Lake’s take on a classic French goat’s cheese style, instantly recognisable from its ash coating and truncated pyramid shape, but made with local unpasteurised ewe’s milk.

Dense and weighty, the cheese moves from loose and curdy to smooth and creamy as it ages, steadily developing in complexity, with a hit of sweet cream followed by a Greek yoghurt acidity, along with pepper, salt and more earthy notes on the rind.

During the World Cheese Awards in Bern, Switzerland, Pavé Cobble achieved a Super Gold rating during the morning session, when 265 expert judges assessed thousands of diverse entries. One of just 110 Super Golds – the top 2.1% of all entries – the lactic sheep’s cheese went onto to earn its place in the final, where it was showcased on the cheese world’s biggest stage.

Run by the Gillingham, Dorset, based Guild of Fine Food, the World Cheese Awards are the largest international cheese competition on the planet.

Following surging demand in response to this critical acclaim, Pavé Cobble is once again available alongside White Lake’s wide and evolving range of goat’s, sheep’s and cow’s milk cheeses – whitelake.co.uk