Little did Juliet Harbutt know that she would be returning to her home in the Cotswolds clutching a prestigious award when she attended the star-studded Guild of Food Writers Awards evening at London’s Design Museum. Her World Cheese Book, which represents 25 years research, was voted 2010 Food Book of the Year, having been selected from a shortlist that included books by TV Chef Valentine Warner and Masterchef judge Michel Roux Jnr.

Over the years, Juliet has probably done more to promote British cheese than anyone. Nevertheless, she says the award was totally unexpected: “I almost dropped my glass when I heard my name read out, I just couldn’t believe it. It was such a shock.”

The judges describe her book, which is a guide to cheeses of the world, as a supremely well-written, easily accessible book that is as comprehensive as it is stylish and beautifully laid out. It contains insightful reviews of some 750 cheeses sourced from 25 countries, including the Americas, New Zealand and Australia.

This is not the first cheese book that Juliet has produced. Her publications include Guide to the Finest Cheeses of Britain, The World Encyclopaedia of Cheese, Cheese, and The British Cheese Directory.

The award was not the first accolade she has received either. Her passion and experience was recognised with membership of the Guilde des Fromagers, Confrerie de Saint-Uguzon and Confrerie des Chevaliers du Taste-Fromage de France.

In other words, there is not much Juliet doesn’t know about cheese, which is why she puts so much energy into encouraging us all to learn to love cheese too.

It was in 1994 that Juliet created the British Cheese Awards and in 2000 The British Cheese Festival. She said things had changed a great deal since the mid-1990s, which coincided with the development of farmers’ markets.

“When I started the awards, people were curious, but there was not a big demand for cheese. People liked it, but had no knowledge of it, and in 1994 there were no farmers’ markets, and hardly any small cheese shops where they could find out.”

Juliet attracted 196 entries for the first British Cheese Awards. Last year, more than 900 cheeses were competing against each other, which represented 70 per cent of the cheeses made in Britain today. And when she wrote her first book in 2000, there were only 36 blue cheeses being made in the UK. Now there are more than 60 — which made the selection for her book particularly difficult as they all have something different to offer.

She modestly puts this growth down in part to the fact that farmers’ markets now enable cheese lovers to discuss cheese with the producer. Obviously, her contribution — the awards and the national festival she has turned into an annual event — have done much to encourage artisan cheese producers too. So have Juliet’s cheese workshops, cheese master-classes and cheese tastings, all designed to inspire and educate food lovers.

Juliet doesn’t just offer these classes to the general public; she individually tailors events to meet a person’s needs, including those setting up a cheese store who may be new to the industry.

Many of her cheese events take place in her home, a charming, quintessentially English 17th-century stone cottage in the heart of the Cotswolds, close to the farm owned by Alex James, the columnist and bassist with the rock band Blur. Their mutual interest in cheese led Juliet and Alex to establish their own cheese label. The result of their shared enterprise is an outstanding goats’ milk cheese which is wrapped in vine leaves after being washed in cider brandy. They have named this Little Wallop, and it is produced exclusively for them by White Lake Cheese.

Juliet’s latest book includes Little Wallop, as it is one of many exciting new goats’ cheeses that have come on to the market during the 21st century. Goats’ cheese has finally been given a voice and is becoming very popular. Innes Button, a tiny unpasturised melt-in-the-mouth goats’ cheese, which is now a favourite of culinary gurus such as Anton Mosimann and Nigel Slater, was the first cheese to win Supreme champion at the British Cheese Awards twice. Juliet describes it as perfection itself.

This year’s Great British Cheese Festival takes place at Cardiff Castle, on Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26. Visitors will be able to taste more than 400 cheeses from sheep, cows, goats and even buffaloes, along with artisan wine, cider, perry and beer.

As the festival’s creator, Juliet is working closely with Cardiff council to ensure the festival retains its unique character and continues to be the focal point in the cheese lovers’ calendar.

If you would like a signed copy of Juliet’s award-winning book, email Cheese@thecheeseweb.com