Greetings!
It's awards time, with the British Cheese Awards announced last Saturday: and so in this Newsletter we pay homage to a few of the big winners, waving our flags and throwing our hats in the air for all we're worth.
I may even organise a parade. Yes, I see it! Break out the bunting! Cue James in a flamboyant costume - toting a slide trombone! Bring on the primary schoolchildren dressed as Cheeses Of All Nations! Oh yes. This could be my moment. I could be the ... the Cecil B de Mille of cheese-themed street spectaculars.
Then again, there are re-runs of Bergarac on. Ah well. Maybe next year.
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The Shed Still Abounds with You-Know-What
 'Tugurium Abundat Caseo' reads the
legend on this lovely badge, currently being given away gratis to all
our customers.
As estimable persons of great learning, all Cheese Shed
customers will of course be able to translate this as The Shed Abounds
With Cheese. |
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October Cheese Selection
 Our
October Selection features four cheeses which range from the innovative to the ultra-traditional. Heligan is unique, as least as far as I know. Made at
Menallack Farm near Penryn in Cornwall, it uses a mixture of cows'
milk, sheeps' milk and cream to create a soft cheese with a luscious,
velvety texture. The final touch is the lemon zest on top! Sublime.
At the other end of the scale, Diana Smart set out, about 20 years
ago, to make truly traditional Double Gloucester. Nominated as a BBC
Food Producer of the Year, she's now over eighty but still making
cheese every day.
Devon Blue is one of a trio of great blues made by
Robin Congdon at Ticklemore Dairy, overlooking the River Dart in Devon.
One of the country's leading blue cheese experts, this delicious
offering is the cows' milk version of his cheese. Finally, Norsworthy - springy-but-firm and with a delightful flavour is made by Crediton's Dave
Johnson. Another specialist, Dave's various cheeses all use the goats'
milk from his own herd.
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They Are The (cheese) Champions!
 In our world, the British Cheese Awards are big. In 1994 Juliet Harbutt set up the awards along with the British Cheese Festival, which these days has a permanent home in Cardiff. Those sixteen years have seen a transformation in the situation of cheese in these islands: consumers no longer view our produce as the poor relations of continental (and especially French) cheese, and there's a steady stream of new dairies coming up with new cheeses (the 2010 awards had to consider three times the number of cheeses entered in 1994).
The Westcountry is arguably the centre of English cheese-making: this year over 40% of the medal winners came from our end of the country, with its cheddar-making and dairying traditions. There are two many winners to go through them all, so let's just highlight a few of the key awards.
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Montgomery's Extra Mature Cheddar (above left) won
Best Cheddar. This will come as no surprise, with Jamie Montgomery's
dairy being one of the most respected of all when it comes to
uncompromising and genuinely traditional cheddar. Modern, industrially-produced
cheeses with the same name (Cathedral City etc) are so ubiquitous and
so dominant: we need people like Jamie, along with Keens, Westcombe and
Quickes, to remind us that real cheddar is made differently, and tastes
different. Mild Cheddars are easily overlooked, so let's hear it for
Denhay's Dorset Drum, which won a Gold.
Best Goats' Cheese is Pennard Vale (above right), made by the Somerset Cheese Company and shamefully I confess that I haven't tried it for a while, though some of their lovely buffalo-milk Pendragon is in the fridge right now. Cornish Country Larder, makers of Cornish Camembert and St Endellion amongst others, won Best Soft White with their Duchy Organic Brie. Something tells me we'd better get some in!
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Cheese Person of the Year is Catherine Mead of Lynher Dairies (left). Lynher's must be the dream story for many cheesemakers - Yarg and Wild Garlic Yarg are modern cheeses which appeared only 20 or so years ago, but which have become a huge success. This award will reflect that, along with Catherine's strong advocacy for farmers, food producers, and of course, cheesemakers.
Finally, one relative newcomer will be encouraged. Treveador Dairy - based on the Lizard in Cornwall - received a Bronze and a Silver for Helford White and Blue Horizon. They're not cheeses I know but I hear good things about them - let's get 'em in the Shed soon.
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