A COUPLE who set up their fledgling cheese business just four years ago are aiming to launch an ambitious new venture to spread the message about their favourite food.

Andy and Kathy Swinscoe, who run The Courtyard Dairy in Settle, want to turn a former falconry centre at Austwick into a 'cheese visitor centre'.

It has been backed by Welcome to Yorkshire's chief executive, Sir Gary Verity, who describes the project as offering a "tremendous new visitor experience".

It will explore the history of local and regional cheese making, specialist cheese refining and maturing and it will tell the story of how it is made.

Longer term the couple, who have established a world-wide reputation in the business, hope to begin manufacturing their own cheese.

The project hinges on the outcome of a 'change of use' application and design and access statement, at present being scrutinised by Craven District Council and expected to be settled in early November.

"These are very exciting times for us. We've had such great support from people who have come out and said it's a brilliant idea. We're very grateful," said Andy who is a past winner of Cheesemonger of the Year at the World Cheese Awards.

"We have reached our maximum potential, going from strength to strength at The Courtyard, but there is no room to expand.

"More and more people are getting interested in food, where it comes from and how it is manufactured. We feel setting up this visitor centre is the next level for the business.

"We want to show people how good cheese can be and also tell the story of its production, especially of the smaller cheese producers who don't have big promotional companies behind them but are making tremendous cheeses."

The centre would have more space to age cheese, to tell the story of British cheese and also provide facilities, such as a cafe where people could enjoy the product.

It would bring employment benefits to the area with 12 jobs, boosting the number from the four working for the firm at present.

Since it opened in December 2012, the business has won multiple awards, including Best Cheese Counter at the 2013 World Cheese Awards, and has been featured on BBC's The One Show and Countryfile, as well as in national newspapers and magazines.

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