I converted my 5x4m garage into award-winning cheese factory - after I was gifted £4.99 cheese making kit

A dad-of-five who was given a novelty £4.99 cheese making kit as a Christmas present now runs his own artisan creamery - from his garage.

Matthew Lloyd, 50, sells his cheeses for around £7 per 150g and has won multiple awards for his tasty creations.

His interest in cheddars and edams started when his sister-in-law Sarah gave him a DIY cheese making kit for Christmas 2019.

Realising how much he loved the science of the cheese-making process, Matthew started making more varieties and experimenting with different flavours. The business consultant has spent the last seven months converting his garage, at his home in Gobowen, Shropshire, into a cheese factory and has forked out £5,000 on second hand equipment - hoping to transform his hobby into a full-time career.

The five metre by four metre space features stainless steel work stations, massive 100 litre pots and a cheese press he built himself.

Matthew said: “I got sort of goaded into entering the 2023 Cheese and Dairy awards. There were about 5,500 cheeses entered from all over the world. I threw in a couple of my cheeses and won best soft cheese with flavourings in Great Britain and came away from the best international novice award. It was amazing and I just thought I had to keep going to see where this hobby took me."

Matthew has launched his own cheese company, ‘The Rennet Works’, and is already supplying a local deli with two of his creations.