BBC Radio 4 Best Food Retailer – Finalist

Hot on the heels of winning last year’s World Cheese Awards ‘Cheesemonger of The Year’, The Courtyard Dairy has enjoyed even more success: they were short-listed from over five thousand retailers to be one of the final three in the BBC Food and Farming Best Food Retailer Award (run by BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme).

Together with butcher Edge & Son (in The Wirral) and fishmonger Veasey (in East Sussex), The Courtyard Dairy was hand-picked by a panel of well-known and knowledgeable judges to be invited to the awards ceremony in Bristol, where the overall winner (Edge & Son) was announced.

Andy Swinscoe was overjoyed with the nomination.  “We’re delighted to be one of just three establishments chosen to be in the final of ‘Best Food Retailer’.  It is in no short measure due to the wonderful support we have received from our customers over the last 15 months, and that in turn has helped The Courtyard Dairy to be able to champion amazing and unique farmhouse cheeses,” he said.

On a visit to The Courtyard Dairy by the judges, restaurant critic Charles Campion seemed suitably impressed.  “If only this cheese shop was at the bottom of my street … everything in it is as good as it can get,” he said.  Food journalist Fiona Beckett added, “I’ve rarely been to a cheese shop where all the cheeses are as good as this”.

You can hear a short clip from BBC Radio 4’s programme below, all about the judges’ visit to The Courtyard Dairy for The BBC Food and Farming Awards.