A HEALTH care worker experienced a close encounter of the cheddar kind after an inter-galactic cheese, launched into the upper atmosphere in Wiltshire on Tuesday, landed in her garden.

Leonie Gould, 56, discovered the 'Interstellar Cheddar' in the back garden of her Woodland Close home on her return from a 14-hour shift at Wycombe Hospital at about 9.30pm on Tuesday.

Mrs Gould said her husband called her at work earlier in the day to say a parcel had been delivered - but the couple were forced to call the police because they feared the foil-covered, Wallace and Gromit-styled invention was a suspect package.

She said: “I was at work when I spoke to my husband on the phone and he said a parcel was in the garden. I said 'a parcel, I haven't ordered anything'.

“I forgot all about it, got home and then my husband reminded me about the parcel.

"I went out there and I was shocked to find this nine inch-long box, covered in foil with a cheese attached to an aerial.

“I didn't know what it was or where it came from, so I ran inside and called the police.

"When the officers arrived, they just laughed and explained about the cheese launch mission. It's a bit strange!”

The wedge of extra-mature cheddar was launched by the West Country Cheesemakers group from Clench Common, Wiltshire at 4.30am to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Lunar landing.

The group hoped the helium pod would snap a picture of the Earth's surface before it floated back down to Earth with the help of a specially made pod and parachute.

The 300g cheddar reached 18.6 miles up into the atmosphere before the GPS system on board failed and it made its last voyage into the unknown territory of Sands – 75 miles from the launch site.

Dom Lane from the mission team said: “We got a call from the police who said a resident found the cheese in the garden of their High Wycombe home, so I rushed out straight away to pick it up.

“Unfortunately the camera didn't work and therefore we don't have any pictures from the mission but the weather balloon burst according to plan, everyone has had a great time and to get it up there at all is a wonderful feat, so we're delighted.

“We're very grateful and pleased that the resident handed in the cheese – we will be sending them a box of cheese as a thank you present.”

Philip Crawford, chairman of the West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers group, added: “We are thrilled to announce the success of our space odyssey.

“We feel we have appropriately marked the 40th anniversary of the first man on the moon in our own way with a first for cheese.

“We are also incredibly touched by the public support for the safe return of the Cheddarnaut and are delighted that people are as proud of this West Country food icon as we are.”

To contact the group log on to www.farmhousecheesemakers.com