AN award winning cheesemaker from the region has secured a contract to supply Tesco with its Yorkshire Blue Cheese.

Shepherds Purse, of Newsham, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, is to provide the cheese to more than 170 Tesco stores in the north of England.

Yorkshire Blue is traditionally made by hand from 100 per cent locally sourced cow’s milk with a soft creamy texture.

Judy Bell, Shepherds Purse chief executive, said: "It is fantastic to see Tesco championing local producers and the retailer has given us a great deal of support to get our cheeses onto its regional shelves.

"We have a great working relationship with Tesco meaning we are more in tune with the needs of individual stores, making our job easier and more efficient."

Tesco has been operating a dedicated team for two years which aims to find local producers from in the region to stock its shelves with.

Sam Nundy, Tesco's regional buyer said: "Shepherds Purse is a fantastic company to work with and Yorkshire Blue tastes phenomenal.

"The cheese is selling very well in our North of England stores and adds a great local flavour to our counters.

"People love to see local produce appearing in their local store. It is great to see the enthusiasm of the small producers such as Shepherds Purse."