NEXT time you're in Hawes, see if you can spot the striking resemblance between the local feathered fowl and certain characters currently gracing the silver screen.

For in the run-up to his Hollywood blockbuster, Nick Park thought where better to study chickens than in the idyllic surroundings of Wensleydale - a mere hop, skip and a jump from the birthplace of his hero's favourite cheese.

It was the father of one of the directors of Aardman Animations, the late Vernon Sproxton, who lived in the area, who tipped the creamery off about A Close Shave in 1995.

"We got this postcard from Vernon which said it would be to our advantage to watch BBC2 on Christmas Eve at 6.30pm," recalled Alice, one of six directors.

Having recovered from the shock of Wensleydale's sudden rise to fame, Alice then set out to secure Nick Park's official blessing on the cheese.

The deal was signed three months later - not the only TV link-up at Hawes; the creamery also makes a special blended cheese called 'Emmerdale'.

"I think Nick was happy to support us because we work in the same hand-made, small-scale way that he does," said Alice, although perhaps, since Chicken Run, quite not so small-scale anymore.

Small is part of the creamery's beauty but the company must move forward if it is to save this particular cheese-making heritage for the generations to come.

That's why product development is an on-going topic of conversation - a new organic cheese will come on line in a few weeks time, for example; sheep's milk cheese has been introduced for the increasing number of people who seem to be allergic to cow's milk.

Perhaps that cheese for sweet-tooths will eventually see the light of the day.

Whatever the future, Hawes's heart will always be Wensleydale.

Some 8,000 gallons of milk are collected daily - at no charge - from the 49 farms which supply the creamery.

And it is that milk, and the grass on which the cows have grazed, the nature of the soil and the climate, which helps give Wensleydale its distinctive flavour - a delicious, creamy-white, flaky cheese with a fresh, clean, slightly honeyed aroma.

If you prefer a more mature flavour, some Wensleydale cheeses are 'left on the shelf' for up to six months.

The oak-smoked range includes 'traditional' and 'blue'.

Meanwhile, Garsdale blends traditional Wensleydale with garlic and chives.

To sample the full range you should call in at the visitor centre shop - the people waiting to be served were in the most contented queue I've ever seen, something to do with all the free samples, I suspect!

"I think there is still a lot of public support for the company, after what we went through back in '92," said Alice, who believes that three key elements have ensured Wensleydale's survival - a belief in the cheese itself, a belief in the people who make it, and a desire to continue the dale's cheese-making tradition.

l The Wensleydale Creamery Museum and Visitor Centre are open from 9.30am-5pm, Monday to Saturday, and Sunday 10am-4.30pm.

The optimum time for viewing cheesemaking is between 10.30am and 3pm.

Adults £2, Child £1.50, Family ticket £6.50.

Free parking on site.

Tel: 01969-667664.