The multi-award winning Courtyard Dairy, near Settle, which both sells and makes cheese, is down to the last three finalists to be named 'best food producer' after being selected from thousands of applications. The award is presented by the BBC Radio 4's Food Programme with the Courtyard Dairy selected by judges for "being at the forefront of the cheese revolution in the UK", and for "expanding and experimenting with cheese recipes and ingredients mixing modern methods with ancient recipes." “The Food and Farming Awards team were particularly impressed by the synergy between us, the small nearby organic farm whose milk goes into our cheese, and the other businesses at The Courtyard Dairy. She added: "The awards team also said that key to the nomination was the research, seminars and collaboration we undertake through our development dairy and Northern Cheese School Seminars to advance farmhouse cheese-making and knowledge in the UK." The best food producer award is one of seven awards in the Food and Farming Awards with finalists chosen from thousands of nominations.