Mayo farmhouse cheesemaker honoured at Irish Cheese Awards

Mayo-based farmhouse cheesemaker Velvet Cloud has been honoured at the 2026 Irish Cheese Awards, winning a Silver award for its Cloonbook Farmhouse Cheese.

The prestigious awards, hosted by CÁIS, the Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, took place at Cloughjordan House in Co. Tipperary last Wednesday (September 23).

Now in its 11th year, the biennial celebration recognised farmhouse cheesemakers across 14 categories, including awards for Best New Cheese and Best Raw Milk Cheese, before naming the overall Supreme Champion.

This year’s judging involved 15 Irish and international cheese experts who tasted 150 cheeses produced by 30 cheesemakers from across the island of Ireland. Each cheese was assessed on aroma, flavour, body, texture and appearance.

Velvet Cloud’s Cloonbook Farmhouse Cheese secured Silver in the Hard/Semi Hard Cheese Under 6 Months category.

The cheese is produced on the Flanagan family farm in Claremorris by husband and wife team Michael and Aisling Flanagan, who are also known for their range of sheep’s milk yogurts and cheeses.

Cloonbook is a mild, creamy semi-hard cow’s milk cheese, matured for a minimum of 10 weeks and produced in small batches using fresh milk from Michael’s uncle Micheál Waldron’s farm in the townland of Cloonbook.

The cheese takes its name from the farm, which has been in the Waldron family for generations and has strong connections to Michael’s childhood and family history. The farm is now run by Micheál’s son, Domhnall.

The Flanagans launched Cloonbook in 2022, drawing on those family connections when choosing the name for the limited-edition cheese.

Chair of CÁIS, Dan Hegarty of Hegarty’s Cheese, said the Irish Cheese Awards play an important role in supporting the future of Ireland’s farmhouse cheese industry.

“The biannual Irish Cheese Awards is a very important event in the diary of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers due to the calibre of judges involved which has a significant impact on individual Irish artisan cheese producers,” he said.

“This in turn has a very positive effect on the long-term future, viability, and success of the Irish Farmhouse Cheese Industry, which continues to thrive over the 40 plus years of CÁIS's existence,” he added.

Cloonbook Farmhouse Cheese is available through the Velvet Cloud website and from leading retailers and independent food stores across Ireland.

The full list of Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners is available through the CÁIS website.