Wallace and Gromit are not the only ones to profess a love for Wensleydale cheese.

The country's most famous proponents of the delicacy have been joined by the judges of what is billed as the cheese 'Oscars'.

For the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, North Yorkshire, swept the (cheese) board scooping no less than eight awards at the World Cheese Awards held in London.

The dairy's Mature Wensleydale won the Hugh Young Memorial Trophy for best British cheese, as well as the Fortnum and Mason Cup for best English cheese.

Phil Jones, sales director at the creamery, said: "I am absolutely over the moon with the awards we have won.

"They really are a credit to our cheesemakers, as well as the dairymen of the Dales that supply our milk.

"We have had a great run of prizes in the county shows, but today's trophies really rank our cheeses as being world-class."

The Yorkshire Dales cheesemakers also took home gold medals for their Cheshire Block and Traditional Cheshire.

The Wensleydale and Cranberry and the newly launched Mango and Papaya fruit cheeses won silver medals, as did the Special Reserve Wensleydale and the Double Gloucester. The firm's Red Leicester took a bronze medal.

The awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers, were held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre on Tuesday.

Cheeses from Europe, Australia and the United States competed for the honours.

"Wensleydale has a winning Yorkshire formula of combining tradition with innovation.

"I couldn't be happier really, unless we won supreme champion, but we are saving that for next year," said Mr Jones.

This award went to French cheesemakers Isigny St Mer, for their unpasturised brie.