Bob does the job for children's natural cheddar cheese

The Good Food Village has launched the first natural cheese containing 'Secret Shapes'. The product was created using a new process, which enables a shape to be cut into a piece of cheese, while the excess product remains in place until it is peeled away by the consumer.

Secret Shapes, is a Somerset-farm-made cheddar featuring Bob the Builder, Wendy, Travis and Roley shapes. "The novelty is that it's real cheese - not a reformed version, which could contain added salt or emulsifiers," said chief operating officer Gis Rutten. Natural cheese is a lot more brittle, so it was a challenge for the company to find a way to create the shapes, without cutting all the way through the product. "It took about seven months to develop the machinery," he says. "We trialled lasers and water-cutting, but in the end, we just used a particular type of blade and held the cheese in a specific position." He is careful not to give too much away about the process as a patent is pending.

Rutten says his company supports Jamie Oliver's school meals campaign, but believes that children should adopt healthy diets from an even earlier age, preferably when they are toddlers. "Kids need to learn to eat properly before school. Our cheese is aimed at children aged two and over."

One Secret Shapes slice (about 30g) contains more than 60% of the recommended daily calcium intake for infants and toddlers.