Support for the younger generation

The World Cheese Awards in Birmingham at the NEC in Birmingham, UK hit records this year with 2,727 cheeses on the tables ready for judging. And what a collection it was – cheeses came from more than 30 countries, and 25 per cent hailed from the UK and Ireland.

One of the more interesting things about this particular awards is the amount of cheesemongers helping to do the judging. They’re very useful in that they strike a balance between what the public wants and what cheese experts think is the best cheese. I find their insights quite spot-on when on a judging team with them. They are always very welcoming to the hacks like me that buzz about them, trying to stuff more Caerphilly down before judging ends and the beautiful cheese is taken away.

John Farrand, the director of the Guild of Fine Foods, noted this year that there were three young people helping to judge cheeses, one as young as 14. When I spoke with Izzy Jones, she was an articulate woman and an ardent fan of cheese. She also is learning tremendous amounts by being at such events.

John Farrand says young people are the future of our industry, and of course he is right. They will sell the cheeses that the makers work so hard to produce, and the more they know the better.