The Wensleydale Creamery, at Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, has secured a significant win for its new Jervaulx Blue cheese - a contract with quality food retailer Waitrose.

The contract will see pre-packed Jervaulx Blue delivered to 177 Waitrose stores nationally and to 176 of the supermarket delicatessens.

Jervaulx Blue is the biggest investment for The Creamery in recent years and one of the most exciting new cheeses to be launched into the British cheese market.

It might sound French but Jervaulx Blue is named after Yorkshire’s famous Jervaulx Abbey, where Cisterian monks originally crafted Wensleydale cheese around the year 1150.

The blue cheese is targeted at the sector of the market that is adopting a more continental taste and blends the traditional sharp blue cheese characteristics with a more creamy and sophisticated texture.

The Waitrose contract win is another success for the cheese that was only launched in April of this year. Thousands flocked to a stand at the Dales Festival of Food ensuring a complete sell-out of the cheese during the festival.

Wensleydale Creamery Managing Director David Hartley said: “This is another significant win for a cheese that is hitting the mark with both retailers and consumers.

“Jervaulx Blue is a multi-million pound investment for The Creamery and will provide growth and sustainability for the business as popularity grows.

“People who predominantly don’t like blue cheese are saying that they like the flavour of Jervaulx Blue. I am sure Waitrose customers will enjoy the sophisticated texture of this fantastic new British cheese.”

For more information on Jervaulx Blue visit www.jervaulxblue.co.uk