The globe comes to Frome
The Global Cheese Awards in Frome, Somerset, saw Long Clawson’s blue Stilton go home with the Global Champion Cheese award this week. I did not taste that one, but did have the privilege of sampling some very nice Red Leicester. The Long Clawson Aged Leicester Red was given the gold award by myself and John Allison, with very able assistance provided by steward Martin Young. The stewards are usually quite knowledgeable themselves, and so act as a helpful third judge.
Luckily for us, most of the cheese categories had a clear winner, although the one where we had to reenact the tastings for the BBC film crew on hand almost descended into hilarity as we seemed unable to remember what we had said and which cheese was where once the camera was turned on. We non-television professionals soon got our act together and managed to redo the judging without too much trouble in the end. We even had the film crew sample the winning cheese, which they agreed was quite moreish. Look for our five seconds of fame on the telly sometime next year.
I think the nice thing about the judging is that one can always learn more about the topic of cheese, and I get more information every time I go to a show. I am still somewhat of a novice in the area, so it is always good to go around with judges who have experience and are keen reporters of a cheese’s character. There is also sheer delight when you taste a cheese and think, ah! I could have a lot more of this.
It is this that is the cheese maker’s art. This is why it is good to support these shows, and to continue to support our local cheese makers.
