Cheese and judging
Image: ICDA
An invitation from the International Cheese & Dairy Awards landed in my inbox this week for an opportunity to judge at the show at the end of June (28-30 June, internationalcheeseawards.co.uk). It is a show that I have long been a fan of, and the pairing for us newbies to cheese judging (ok, I’ve been doing it a few years now) is always with a seasoned expert. An overall delight, this one. I will get out my white coat and run an iron over it, and
Part of the form-filling was asking about what my favourite cheese was. Well, on some days it’s a crumbly Stilton for the salad, and other days it’s a mighty slice of vintage cheddar for the oatcake, or to accompany a slice or two of apple. And some days I get out the goat cheese and spread that on everything. My son is a huge Camembert and Brie de Meaux eater, and my spouse will gobble down the aged Gouda or Comté with abandon.
That is what the world likes so much about cheese. We often find that people who would otherwise shun dairy for whatever reason, do not shun cheese. Let’s face it, cheese is less a food product and more of a living organism, in a way. It takes skill, luck and time to turn a simple few litres of milk into a treat that people want to indulge in.
These shows are places where the cheese maker comes out of the maturing cellars and milking parlours, and into the light of their fellow industry participants’ approval and judging for top prizes to use in their future marketing. Also, it’s a great get together and three days of seeing everyone from the Society of Dairy Technology folks at their very interesting seminar on 28 June, to the new networking feature with the entire spectrum of dairy folks, on 30 June. Don’t miss it.
Don’t forget to visit us at the Society of Dairy Technology’s annual dinner and summer summer symposium. Please also make sure to contact [email protected] about our exciting June issue, all about cheese technology or for Dairy Industries Expo opportunities.
We are also excited to welcome a new addition to the team, Aimee Carnell, who will be working on classified sales on DII & Event sales on Dairy Industries Expo. She can be reached at [email protected].
And see you all at ICDA!
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
Keep in touch via email: [email protected]
Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine
