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 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 £4.99 DIY cheese making kit at Christmas in 2019.

The novelty gift set included a cloth, a thermometer and a rennet tablet - containing milk-curdling enzymes - which was enough for one batch of cheese.

Matthew loved the cheese-making process so much he started making more varieties and experimenting with different flavours.

The business consultant has now built his own creamery in his shed at his home in Gobowen, Shrops., and is hoping to transform his hobby into a full-time career.

Matthew, 50, said: "When I look back now it's amazing that all this started with a novelty Christmas present."

"I absolutely love the science of turning milk into cheese products. "

"It's quite a scientific act. Some people hit middle age and buy golf clubs, I bought massive pots and a micro lab. "

"I was completely self-taught and was learning through books and the internet. "

"I've got lots of cheesy friends, everyone comes around for the cheese. 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 just thought I had to keep going to see where this hobby took me."

Matthew has spent the last seven months converting his garage into a cheese factory and has forked out £5,000 kitting it out with second hand equipment.

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

He added: "After the competition I thought to myself let's get this to market if we can. "

"I've spent my career giving other businesses help to develop and grow and for once I was giving myself the advice to realise my own dream."

"I took a sustainability course which helped me understand the journey of the food I was making. "

"I started building the factory in January of this year and finished at the end of July. "

"It really is men in shed stuff. It was mainly Saturday work. Now I make up to 10kg in cheeses in one batch."

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

He said: "I sell a halloumi-style cheese, I call it Hallouminati, it's completely hand-made. There is not a single machine used, it's all hand pressed. "

"I hand-built my pressing mechanism. My cheese is flavoured with spearmint rather than the standard mint. "

"The other cheese I make is the Templar after the Templar knights. "

"It's a German cheese, a washed curd cheese. It's an alpine style. That's smoked with a Templar cross on the top. "

"It's a very extensive process. That won bronze at the internationals and bronze at the British. "

"I am developing some Christmas soft cheeses for markets in the area. It's a very young business and I can only produce so much. "

"These cheeses mature really quickly, these cheeses mature within one month."

"The cheese is flying off the shelves. I can't make enough to supply the demand."

"I've got it in two very high class cheese shops, one being a mile away from our "
house. They make award winning yoghurts.

"I've got it going into another cheese shop in a couple of weeks."