If you are already thinking about your Christmas cheese platter, how about ordering some Northern Irish brie from Fivemiletown Creamery in the heart of County Tyrone's Clogher Valley. Fivemiletown is a small, farmer-owned co-operative that has a long tradition of producing exceptional cheese. The Creamery's ethos is that cheesemaking is an art with two essential elements, the quality and purity of the milk and the skill and passion of the cheesemaker.

The creamery was established in 1898 and currently produces cheddars and a range of speciality soft cheeses including natural Bries such as Ballybrie, Ballyblue, Oak Smoked Brie and goat’s cheeses including Cooneen, O’Reilly’s and a traditional Northern Irish Boilie - a garlic and herb marinaded cheese. Mervyn McCaughey is the Managing Director of the Creamery, representing the sixty farmers that comprise the co-operative.  He is passionate about promoting UK food abroad as well as at home.

• Why do you do what you do?
  I love working with food, especially cheese.  In a business sense, it is such a dynamic, challenging and customer-focused industry. The highpoint of my career is the interaction with our dairy farmers, customers and consumers. The feedback they provide helps to shape and develop Fivemiletown Creamery. It’s also tremendously rewarding to see our international success providing tangible benefits to the 60 farmers who supply our milk, to their families and the wider rural community.



• What achievement are you most proud of?
  Becoming a regular supplier of our Northern Irish Brie to top French retailers including the Galeries Lafayette network of stores in Paris and beyond.



• What is your most memorable moment?
  Winning the contract to supply cheese to Wal-Mart in the US, the world’s biggest retailer. We are the only Northern Irish food producer supplying Wal-Mart.



• If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you do to encourage more people to eat British food?
  Create a fiscal structure that facilitates the growth of food manufacturing and thereby enables companies to invest in new products, to produce more food more efficiently and offer consumers even greater choice. The Government needs to recognise the strategic role of the agri-food industry.



• What is your favourite food and why?
  Apart from cheese, roast beef, because I know that British meat is produced to the highest hygiene standards, involves good animal welfare and, of course, is richly flavoured. British beef is the best and traditional roast beef an excellent meal.



• What are your predictions for the future of British food?
  The future is very bright because concern amongst consumers over issues such as food security, provenance and carbon footprint is of great benefit to local producers.  Consumers are crying out for British, locally produced food. In addition, British food itself provides the naturalness that consumers increasingly demand. The British food industry is also well-positioned to harness the business potential of trends including health and well-being. It’s a modern and progressive industry with a track record of success in responding to the requirements of consumers. The Government really must make local food production a strategic priority.



• If you were an advertising executive what slogan would you use to promote British food?
  British food – the natural and healthy choice.



• Beat the Recession tip?
  This is to all British producers - go out there and sell. There is business for British companies both here and abroad. Smaller companies, in particular, should not succumb to the current gloom and, instead, focus on selling their products professionally and aggressively. Britain has some of the best products around. By being proactive in their markets, British producers can strengthen their relationship with consumers and obtain feedback to develop their business, services and products.



• What's on the menu this evening?
  Cheese on toast - honestly.



• How can people get hold of your produce?
  Fivemiletown Creamery’s speciality cheese products are on sale in all the main supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and Tesco as well as many delicatessens and farm shops across Britain. They can also be found in Harrods Food Hall, Knightsbridge. We are in the process of buidling an online retail facility.