Cheesemaker Wensleydale Creamery enters UK yogurt category with Yorkshire Yogurt

Hawes-based Wensleydale Creamery - best known for its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese - yesterday unveiled its new range of "naturally thick and creamy"​ Yorkshire Yogurt products.

Yorkshire Yogurt - produced "to a unique recipe"​ by a "premium quality yogurt maker"​ using milk from Yorkshire - is available in Strawberry and Raspberry, Lemon Curd, Toffee Apple, and Rhubarb and Vanilla variations.

It hopes to build on the success of the Wensleydale Creamery brand, which it says is "synonymous with quality."​

"Yorkshire Yogurt is a premium luxury yogurt with a fruit layer, with clear British credentials,"​ a spokesperson told DairyReporter.com. 

"Its positioning will compete with other premium and layered yogurts and Greek-style too."​

To-date, it has secured listings for Yorkshire Yogurt with British retail giant Asda and a number of independent retailers.

It has "other listings in the pipeline"​ and is exploring "export opportunities"​ for Yorkshire Yogurt, the spokesperson added.

Alongside Yorkshire Yogurt, the company markets cheese and butter under the Wensleydale Creamery brand. 

Yorkshire Wensleydale, a a favourite of British animated cheese aficionados Wallace and Gromit, European Union (EU) PGI status in December 2013.

The PGI states that no cheesemaker outside the Wensleydale area - comprised of Hawes, Seburgh, Bedale, Wharfdale, Midderdale, Ribblesdale, Ripon, and Swaledale - may produce cheese and call it Yorkshire Wensleydale.

Wensleydale Creamery is the only firm producing Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese in the area.