IT was cheesy grins all round for the cream of the region's cheesemakers who brought home a swag of medals from the British Cheese Awards.

Anstey's of Worcester was singled out from the entire British line-up of cheesemakers and its owner named Cheese Person of the Year.

The special award, for services rendered to the industry, is not always given at the festival, which is held in Stow-on-the-Wold and attracts around 10,000 visitors.

"It depends on whether there's anybody worthy of it," said Alyson Anstey, who started the family business 15 years ago with her husband Colin.

"It's in recognition of being well respected in the cheese business and for the quality of our products," she said, adding there had been 150 cheesemakers exhibiting more than 700 varieties of cheese at this year's awards.

Anstey's, based at Broomhall Farm, near St Peter's, also won two silver medals and one bronze medal.

Its Worcestershire Sauce Cheese - a hard, cheddar-style cheese marbled with Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and exported to Japan - won silver, as did the Modern British hard cheese, Double Worcester.

Double Worcester Export, meanwhile, won bronze.

Mrs Anstey, who also acts as a judge at the awards, said it was very encouraging to see the take-up of the company's products in local restaurants.

Philip Rogers, of Lightwood Farm, in Cotheridge, near Worcester, meanwhile, said he was very happy with the two bronze medals and one silver his company won.

"We had two cheeses that did what we hoped and a surprise one, which is always nice," said Mr Rogers, who has been making cheese with his wife Sally since 1989.

Malvern Cheesewrights, of Whittington, Worcester, scooped a gold for its Malvern Goats Cheese in the Modern British category.