Cheese is the way
This time of year, a very large portion of people’s shopping lists consists of cheese for the holidays. I went to the World Cheese Awards Journey into Flavour evening last week from the Guild of Fine Food, and enjoyed a selection of top cheeses from around the globe, ranging from Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri, to a São Jorge PDO Cheese from Spain, to Allerdale from Thornby Moor Dairy in Carlisle, UK. Plus an Irish cheese maker Coolattin Cheddar, and another cheese from Los Payuelos of the Azores.
I would like to say I preferred one over the other, but I could have happily eaten all of them regularly. Of course the blue cheese supreme champion was delicious, but the others just all were top examples of their types too.
Happily, the cheese folks were not restricted to this one night. Writers such as Patrick McGuigan were on British television over the weekend, discussing the history of the British cheese industry on the show, Britain’s Favourite Cheese at Christmas on Channel 5. I don’t think he or the other cheese makers (including Razan Alsous of Yorkshire Dama Cheese and Mary Quicke of Quicke’s cheeses) came to a conclusion about the country’s favourite, but they did seem to enjoy discussing how the cheese making industry evolved in the UK, and what varieties are available now. I think if one person watched it and went out and bought a different type of what they normally get, or even went a bit further afield and had something completely different, that would be a good thing. As one cheese monger said on the show (apologies but I failed to take down his name and for some reason can’t seem to get a cast list of the episode), buy better, buy more and eat it faster. Sound advice for the cheese enthusiast.
Don’t forget, for the cheese enthusiast and for the entire dairy industry, visit www.internationalcheesedairyawards.com and get involved in the industry’s most comprehensive show in Stafford in 2024. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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