BRINKWORTH Dairy is in the running for a top food title after its tasty produce was nominated for the Great British Food Awards.

The business, which was started by farmer’s daughter Ceri Cryer, recently won a gold award for its new strawberry yoghurt at the Bath and West Show.

Now its unsalted butter has been shortlisted in the Great British Food Awards.

Ceri, who built up the dairy with husband Chad after starting it at her father’s farm 10 years ago, said: “We’re really excited.”

She is delighted that Brinkworth is up against award-winning producers including White Lake Cheese from Somerset.

“It is an honour to be listed and spoken about in the same breath as those,” she said.

It is also the first time the unsalted butter, made from milk supplied by dad Joe Collingborn’s herd of Friesians, has won recognition.

Unsalted butter is a favourite of chefs and the French, who prefer it to the salted variety for their morning toast.

“It’s great for cooking. You can add salt if you want to your own taste,” said Ceri.

Butter is also enjoying a revival after a recent study found no link between it and heart disease.

“It is really nice that people are doing the natural thing,” she added.

Ceri and her cheeses have already won a clutch of awards in recent years.

Wiltshire Loaf, one of her favourites, was named Best Territorial Cheese at the 2013 British Cheese Awards, Brinkworth Blue is a bronze award winner and Royal Bassett Blue was a winner at the Taste of the West Awards. It was also on the menu for diners at Royal Ascot earlier this year.

But now the dairy itself has been nominated for a Best Artisan Producer title in the Great British Cheese Awards.

The award is intended to recognise, celebrate and reward the best of British cheese produced and distributed by independent cheesemakers and retailers around the country.

The nine shortlisted producers, many of them small businesses like the dairy based at Hill End Farm where Collingborns have farmed since 1910, come from as far afield as Aberdeenshire, Truro, Northamptonshire and Lancashire.

Voting closes on September 9 and the winners will be announced in October.