The Nantwich effect

Take 1,500 cheeses, 89 trophies, 27,000 members of the public and a heaped tablespoon of lively debate. Place in a large marquee and leave to mature for two days. The result? The perfect recipe for the Nantwich International Cheese Show. Richard Clarke reports

And the Supreme Champion is… are the words which cause
hundreds of cheesemakers to hold their breath, cross their cheese irons and murmur prayers for their name to be uttered immediately
afterwards. This is the Nantwich International Cheese Show effect.
The end of July saw 1,472 entries across 89 classes from 19 different countries brought together in a 2,625m2 air-conditioned marquee to be thrown at the mercy of 76 judges’ palates. The products were also
surveyed by 28,000 members of the public on the open day (1,000 down on 1997, but it did rain), having been scrutinised by a host of buyers and journalists just 24 hours earlier.

Quality and quantity
Nantwich is not for the lactose-
intolerant. Anyone who has been to the show will know why. It’s unusual to find quality and quantity going hand in hand, but this is one place where they can be spotted smooching quite overtly.
The show is the largest of its kind in the world, and keeps getting bigger. Drummond Hall, the managing
director of Dairy Crest, had the privilege