Double delight for Armagh’s creamy cheesemaker at national quality awards

BALLYLISK Cheese in Portadown has won two major awards for its creamy Triple Rose cheese in as many days!

The family business gained a unique Artisan Cheese Award, one of the most important in the UK and Ireland, and then, a day later, the highly influential Euro-Toques Ireland Dairy Award for the unique cheese.

Mark Wright, chief executive of Ballylisk Cheese, which recently gained major awards in both Great Britain and the Irish Republic.

placeholder image — Mark Wright, chief executive of Ballylisk Cheese, which recently gained major awards in both Great Britain and the Irish Republic.

The company hand crafts a triple cream and other soft cheeses that have won a host of awards for its quality and outstanding taste. These include a three-star UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards.

Using exceptionally creamy milk from a single pedigree grass-fed Holstein herd on the Wright family farm just outside Tandragee, Ballylisk was the winner in the fiercely competitive Farmhouse Cheese category in the Artisan Cheese Awards that attracted entries from across the British Isles. Ballylisk gained several other medals for its quality cheese at the showcase.

The awards were an integral part of the Cheese Festival held at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, a town long famous for its pork pies and known as Britain’s ‘Rural Capital of Food’.

Euro-Toques celebrate Ireland’s culinary heritage and is a community of chefs and cooks supporting small and artisan food producers and sourcing the best quality ingredients available locally and in season.

Mark Wright, Ballylisk’s chief executive, was understandably delighted to have won the two prestigious awards: “It’s fantastic and such a tremendous boost from expert judges for our small cheese business in two of our most important markets.

“Winning these highly influential awards will also strengthen awareness of our unique cheese across Britain and Ireland among retailers, wholesalers, chefs and restaurateurs in our most important markets,” adds Mark.

The company, now one of Ireland’s leading cheese producers, recently secured business with Marks and Spencer on the island of Ireland and expects to be listed by the high-end retailer in Britain soon.

Ballylisk, which was formed in 2017, also showcased its Triple Rose at the weekend Artisan Cheese Fair, the largest of its type in the UK.