Sales of regional British cheese are outperforming that of their continental rivals, new figures show.

According to market analysts Mintel, regional British cheese sales surged 16 per cent between 2004 and 2006 to reach £220m.

Continental cheese sales, meanwhile, dropped 7 per cent to £340m over the same period due to falling prices.

Lancashire, Cheshire and Red Leicester are among the local cheeses which have seen bumper sales.

David Bird, senior consumer analyst at Mintel, said: "With growing interest in environmental and ethical concerns we are becoming increasingly interested in the origin of our food.

"As a result we are seeing a growing trend towards 'buying British', which has provided a huge boost for sales of British regional cheese.

"Many varieties of regional British cheese have extended their ranges by adding fruits, liqueurs and even curry. This has really caught the imagination of cheese customers and has lead to the rise in sales of locally produced cheese."

Although regional cheese has seen the greatest growth, cheddars from the UK and abroad accounted for about half of all cheese sales in the UK last year, having grown 7 per cent between 2004 and 2006 to reach £985m.

And looking ahead, sales of the humble block of cheddar will hit the £1bn mark for the first time ever this year, Mintel predicted.

"Cheddars have clearly stood the test of time and are now still very much a British staple. The market has done well to see growth despite heavy discounting and many buy-one-get-one-free offers in the," added Mr Bird.

Overall, the British cheese market was worth £1.9bn in 2006, having increased by 4 per cent between 2004 and 2006.

Sales are set to rise to £1.93bn this year, according to Mintel.

The article Bumper sales for British cheesemakers originally appeared on 999 Today