AWARDS

After many years of producing ewe's milk for sale to other processors, in 1998 Sue and Roger Hilditch decided to take on the role of cheese makers themselves. With the help of a small grant from Ceredigion County Council and a huge amount of determination, they have now converted agricultural outbuildings into a modern, compact cheese-making unit on their farm Capel Gwnda and during their first year in production reaped a number of prestigious awards for their sheep's milk cheeses.

Caws Celtica was launched at the Winter Fair in Builth Wells, in December 1999 and during 2000 won Gold and "Best Welsh Cheese" at the World Cheese Awards for its "Lammas"; "Lammas & Celery" took a Gold award at the British Cheese Awards the same year and at the Royal Welsh Show the business scooped a first and two second prizes for their cheeses. In 2001 "Lammas" was awarded a Bronze award at the British Cheese Awards. In 2002 their new cheese "Lammas & Black Pepper" was awarded Gold at the 2002 British Cheese Awards and a few weeks later their "Lammas "&"Cumin" was awarded Silver and Best Cheese in Class, their mature "Beltane" Silver and Best in Class and their "Traditional Smoked" cheese Bronze at the 2002 World Cheese Awards. In 2003 at the British Cheese Awards (BCA) they won Gold for their cheese "Lammas & Cumin" and a further Bronze award for "Lammas" and at the World Cheese Awards in 2003 "Lammas" again won Best Welsh Cheese and a Gold Award. In the 2005 BCA they were awarded Gold for their Lammas & Mustard Seeds and in 2006 Silver for Beltane and Bronze for their Lammas & Garlic.

PRESS COVERAGE

The cheeses have received overwhelming press coverage: in the Western Mail 22nd February 2000 "'Hand-made' label adds a cachet to farm cheeses". Western Mail (12th August 2000) "Gilli Davies found a cheese she liked so much she wanted more - Celtica's flavour makes it well worth the weight"), Cambrian News 16th September 1999 and 17th May 2001, page13 and more recently in the October 2001 issue of Country Living "The Complete Guide to Farmers' Markets" by Nina Planck page 29.

In the Monmouthshire Beacon, Thursday 13th September 2001 Tom Innes of Irma Fingal-Rock said of Caw Celtica's "Lammas" "This is an outstanding cheese with a rich, almost sweet flavour Wonderful cheese …"