Actor Sean’s cheese role

SAY cheese . . . from left, Paul Lowcock, DJ Mike Sweeney with his daughter, Niamh, Sean Wilson, Claire Cookson from Carron Lodge and wineman Julian Garratt from Winos of Oldham

A former Coronation Street star has launched a new career . . . as a cheesemaker.

Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt in the soap, presented some of his cheeses at a special tasting, linked to wine, under a balloon-decorated awning outside an Uppermill High Street shop.

And the 44-year-old celebrity, who only launched his Saddleworth Cheese Company a month ago, revealed one of his specially-crafted cheeses has won a major accolade in British Cheese Awards.

He is developing his distinctive handmade cheeses under the expert guidance of legendary Lancashire cheesemaker, Bob Kitchen.

And in September, will discover if he will collect gold, silver or bronze at the glittering award ceremony to be staged at Cardiff Castle. Meantime, he showed off his award-winning cheese, Muldoons Picnic, to an appreciative audience at a special cheese and wine tasting staged at Paul’s Quality Meats in Uppermill.

Sean said: “I entered Muldoon’s Picnic, in the crumbly Lancashire cheese category, which is one of the most hard-fought sections in the awards. I chose the names of the cheeses from expressions that were part of my childhood in Ashton.

“Muldoon’s Picnic, for example, was used by parents to describe the scene when kids had been messing about. Another is called How’s your Father, and I have developed one named Smelly ’Apeth, too.”

His cheeses have a distinctive character and feature locally-sourced ingredients. And he has designed labels incorporating local landmarks.

Sean has been working on his cheeses at Carron Lodge, the Preston-based cheesemakers, who attended the event with DJ Mike Sweeney, a personal friend and Julian Garratt from Winos, Oldham.