IT SOUNDS cheesy, but a student has created a crown from a giant truckle of West Dorset cheddar in Lyme Regis.

Lyme Regis cheesemonger Justin Tunstall, based at the Town Mill, commissioned artist Camilla Johnstone to create the sculpture from the 27kg Ford Farm cheese.

Camilla, 21, from Charmouth, was delighted to be presented with the challenge of working with cheese.

She said: “It was a great opportunity to try something new and push myself in terms of dealing with a totally foreign sculpting material.

“It will also give me an edge with my portfolio.

“After all, who else is going to be able to boast a crown made out of cheese?

“The real challenge was keeping the cheese cool.

“I had to work in short, intense bursts and keep cooling it down in a fridge.

“Cracking was also an issue.

“I kept an olive oil spray with me at all times to spray the sculpture to keep it moist.”

Camilla spent much of her childhood in Zimbabwe where she was heavily influenced by the country’s colourful and vibrant culture.

She has won several competitions, including one sponsored by the Royal College of Art at the tender age of eight.

She has also recently completed a foundation course at the prestigious Central St Martin’s College in London.

Her aim is to raise enough money to fund a trip to India later this year to learn traditional block printing methods of fabric design.

The cheddar crown was on display at the cheesemongers for the Jubilee weekend.