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Shepherds Purse, leading artisan cheesemakers based in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, has secured a direct to depot contract with Tesco to supply regional stores with its best selling, award-winning Yorkshire Blue cheese. Traditionally made by hand with 100 per cent locally sourced cow's milk, is available pre-packed and on the delicatessens of more than 170 North of England Tesco stores, serviced by the retailer's Doncaster and Middleton depots.

The multi-award winning cow's milk cheese is based on a continental style recipe highlighted by its soft, creamy texture. The recipe has been developed by the Bell family to give the cheese a unique buttery, sweet flavour with no sharp bite.

Sam Nundy, Tesco's regional buyer said: "Shepherds Purse is a fantastic company to work with and Yorkshire Blue tastes phenomenal. The cheese is selling very well in our North of England stores and adds a great local flavour to our counters. . If customers ask for something, we do our best to provide it. People love to see local produce appearing in their local store. Everyone is concerned about food miles now and we feel regional sourcing is one step in addressing this. It is great to see the enthusiasm of the small producers such as Shepherds Purse"

Tesco's regional office has been operating for more than 2 years with a dedicated team established to find local producers from within the region and bring products onto Tesco shelves. Tesco is committed to offering and promoting local produce and whilst the retailer has always worked with local producers, it now wants to see more local products that customers want in more local stores.

Judy Bell, chief executive said:"We have a great working relationship with Tesco regionally with better information sharing that ensures we are more in tune with the needs of individual stores, making our job easier and more efficient. It is fantastic to see Tesco championing local producers and the retailer has given us a great deal of support to get our cheeses onto its regional shelves.