We're proud to announce that we picked up 2 Great Taste stars for Blacksticks, 1 star for Parlick and 1 star for Button Mill! That adds to the star we already have for Sunday Best and Beacon Blue in 2022, plus the 1 star Blacksticks already had from 2021!
Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses says, “Having the iconic iconic black and gold Great Taste logo on even more of our award-winning cheeses shows just how exciting British cheesemaking is at the moment.
"The Great Taste Awards logo is recognised and respected by people who love quality food and drink and is a powerful on-pack marker for more people to find and explore British farmhouse cheese, made here in Lancashire. We’re particularly pleased to have have won Great Taste awards for our hard, blue and soft cheeses, with judges calling Blacksticks ‘a crowd pleaser’ and awarding two-stars, following its one-star award in 2021. Parlick, our newest hard sheep’s milk cheese and Button Mill, our creamy soft British brie are also new Great Taste winners - the perfect cheeseboard combination!
"We now have five cheeses proudly displaying the Great Taste logo and it’s all down to our team - our extended family - who are driving the British cheese renaissance and putting their heart and soul into making, packing and selling our cheese every single day.”
What the Great Taste Judges said...
On Blacksticks:
"This is a good-looking piece of cheese with an artisanal farmhouse rustic edge. The blue has been evenly distributed and has created a lively, lightly funky aroma. There is a surprising amount of buttery rich flavour and melt in the mouth-feel. The blue is very light and adds a mild tang. We enjoyed the moderate level of salt which helped lift and enhance the overall flavour. We felt this would be a crowd pleaser and a great introductory blue cheese."
On Parlick:
"This pale, creamy coloured cheese has a light, soft texture. It dissolves in the mouth leaving a sweet caramel but mildly lactic, clean taste in the mouth. We love that it is different. It is not hard nor soft and has a delicious moreish quality. There is just the right level of salt. We reckon it would age well too and would like to try it in 12 months! It would sit well on a cheeseboard and would appeal even to those who don't like conventional sheep's cheese."
On Button Mill:
"This is an attractive, well-made brie with a subtle aroma, and excellent even creamy texture that releases delicate well-balanced, fresh lactate notes, with good complexity and length - this is clean, simple, well-made and tasty."
