Something for the weekend
Image credit: Guild of Fine Food
A special May bank holiday is coming up. VE Day 2020 is the 75th anniversary for the Allies’ victory in Europe, and the May bank holiday in the UK has been moved to Friday 8 May. But actually, while that is exciting, something even more exciting for us cheese folks (and the many fans of cheese) is happening this upcoming weekend – the British Cheese Weekenders, an online cheese festival featuring live-streamed talks, tastings, farm tours, quizzes and cookery demos by some of the country’s leading cheese experts.
Let’s face it: the future of hundreds of small farmhouse and artisan cheese makers in Britain is in the balance after many lost up to 90% of their business overnight when restaurants were closed in the Coronavirus crisis, while many supermarkets focused on factory-made block cheeses. There’s a real danger we may lose some of our greatest cheeses if we don’t act, the Specialist Cheesemakers Association (SCA), the Academy of Cheese and the Guild of Fine Food all warn.
Supported by cheese writer Patrick McGuigan, the initiative aims to raise awareness of the crisis and help shoppers connect with local cheese makers and independent retailers by providing online directories of the companies that can deliver or are safely open for business. The event will line up a series of live virtual masterclasses over the weekend, hosted by top cheese experts, so that people can tune in and learn more about cheese as they taste along at home. It will be covering topics from how to be a cheese judge to drinks pairings and storage tips.
So, where to start? Have a look at this link and see you online for cheese enjoyment: blog.academyofcheese.org/british-cheese-weekender
#SupportSmallCheesemakers #BritishCheeseWeekender
