MAYBE it's the influence of Wallace and Gromit and their unashamed championing of Wensleydale and Stinking Bishop.

Or perhaps it's the patronage of Rick Stein and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Whatever is going on in the world of cheese, it is good news for producers of British varieties which have seen a leap in sales over the past few years.

A survey by the research group Mintel has discovered that regional British cheeses are enjoying a bigger sales upturn than Brie and other continental varieties.

Sales of British cheese rose around 16 per cent from 2004 to 2006, to £220 million, Mintel discovered.

The amount spent on continental varieties, such as Camembert and Roquefort, fell by seven per cent to £340 million during the same period.

Senior consumer analyst David Bird said growing consumer interest in buying local food and drink had helped to boost regional cheese sales.

"Continental cheese such as Brie used to be seen as a luxury for special occasions," he said.

"But today many continental varieties are now more an everyday staple than an occasional treat."

Nowhere have they noticed this interest in local cheese more than in North Dorset near Sturminster Newton, where the famous Blue Vinny cheese, revived in 1984, has been selling like hot (cheese) cakes.

The original variety was invented to use left-over milk and gained its distinctive blue veins from either having mouldy horse harnesses dragged through it, being stored on damp hessian sacks, or being placed next to mouldy boots!

The Dorset Blue Soup company says: "We no longer resort to any of these methods but instead the blue is introduced by means of a blue mould solution!"

Dorset Blue Vinny has appeared on the front cover of Rick Stein's Food Heroes book and the soup is sold in Waitrose.

It's also a feature of the annual Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival, which was held earlier this month.

Sales of cheese were so popular in 2006 that many traders sold out on the Saturday and had to restock for the Sunday.

Loosehanger Cheese, near Downton, has also won awards for its wares, which include a gold medal at the British Cheese Awards for its celebrated Woodfall Oak.

The firm was the brainchild of Ness Williams and her husband, Gwyn.

He told the Daily Echo that interest in local cheese had boomed in recent years.

"There has been an increasing interest in good food and we definitely fit into that category.

"For us, the main thing has been farmers' markets, particularly those in Hampshire, which are very well run.

"We are able to talk to the public directly and let them taste our cheeses and we also sell to many hotels and restaurants."

He believes the interest in British cheese is running in tandem with an interest in being more eco-friendly.

"We use milk from an Ayrshire herd in North Hampshire and sell as directly as we can.

"That cuts down on the carbon footprint and means we have more link to our customers."

He has noticed a trend towards goats' cheese: "It's becoming very popular, which is interesting because the milk we use from the Ayrshires is a bit like that - lighter and much more easily digested."

It's this personal touch and knowledge of the product which customers adore.

Gwyn's favourite of all his cheeses is the Woodfall Oak: "It is very lightly smoked which gives it a wonderful flavour - delicate yet definite."