AN award-winning pottery and damson cheese maker is all smiles again after being hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis of last year.

The Garden House and Garden House Pottery of Reeth is Britain's only commercial producer of damson cheese in Britain.

But the lack of visitors to the countryside during the crisis badly affected it and forced it to review its entire operations.

Husband and wife team, Raymond and Jane Davies founded the business in 1981 and won first prize in the national Small Producers Award 2002 for innovation and excellence in food production.

They primarily make and sell pottery from their workshop and shop, but in 1996 also began producing damson cheese.

They use damsons from their own orchard and sell the cheese in pots designed and handmade by themselves.

Damson cheese is not a dairy cheese, but a dark fruit preserve that has a dense even texture.

In Victorian times it was sliced and eaten with port and cream as a dessert.

When visitors dried up during the foot-and-mouth crisis, Mr and Mrs Davies sought advice from John Turner, Business Link York and North Yorkshire rural recovery adviser.

He helped them draw up a new business plan which attracted a Government-funded Rural Recovery Grant.

And this week saw the launch of their web site at www.gardenhousepottery.co.uk .

It is designed to attract a wider customer base and will also complement a mail order catalogue which they intend to produce before the end of the year.

Jane Davies said: "We recognised that having a manufacturing business heavily dependent on tourism was too unreliable, even in busy years, and that we needed to take our shop and our products out to the national market.

"The web site and mail order developments will allow us to increase our year-round trade and turnover and will, we hope, lead to more sustainable employment."

Mr Turner played a crucial role in giving expert, tailored advice on how to implement their plans.

"They are one of many rural businesses which Business Link has been working with that have opted to refocus and re-evaluate themselves since foot-and-mouth," he said.

"Many have now diversified in order to protect themselves should a similar crisis occur."

Business Link York and North Yorkshire has helped more than 300 rural businesses to secure £4m in Rural Recovery Grants from the foot-and-mouth business recovery fund, which was set up by the Government and administered by Yorkshire Forward.

Further details on the help and advice offered by Business Link York and North Yorkshire can be obtained from 01904 686000