What a difference a year makes. Just over 12 months ago I was joining the crowds at the Bath & West Show where I was a judge at the Great British Cheese Awards.

Just now I was reduced to a bit of cheese on toast for lunch - my own sourdough toast I hasten to add and some of Sharpham Cheese’s finest… But here’s the article I wrote after the judging had taken place…

There are a great many heroes and superheroes who star on TV or in movies that a person might wish to emulate, but those charming rubbery characters Wallace and Gromit probably are not at the top of everyone’s list.  

So you can imagine my surprise one day recently when I began to realise that I was turning into a real-life version of cheese-loving Mr Wallace while my young dog called Finn was looking like an authentic double for Gromit. 

It all began a couple of months ago when a small but slightly aromatic package arrived by parcel post. I am not one of those food-writers who gets inundated with the latest products, but for some reason the the UK’s oldest cheesemonger, Paxton & Whitfield, had decided to send me a selection of their new Spanish cheese range (see below).

Very powerful and delicious morsels they were too - so much so I phoned the company’s pubic relations guy to thank him. We had a pleasant chat and one thing led to another, as they say. The next thing I knew I was being invited to be a judge at the British Cheese Awards 2019.

It is a great honour and I will indeed be turning up at the Royal Bath and West Show-ground in order to help judge the vast number of cheeses on display as part of this year’s Bath and West Show. 

But I’d better be in my best Wallace and Gromit cheese-loving mood as there will me more than 150 different cheddars alone for me to taste. Indeed, the British Cheese Awards is celebrating the enduring appeal of cheddar this year with two new awards for cheesemakers of Britain’s favourite cheese. 

The new awards will be for best block cheddar and for best traditional cheddar.

“Cheddar is without doubt Britain’s favourite cheese,” said a man from the British Cheese Board who explained that we eat 330,000 tonnes of the stuff every year. 

“And its appeal is not diminishing,” he went on. “At the 2018 British Cheese Awards 155 cheddars were entered into the competition. That’s an increase of 158 per cent when compared to the first year of the awards in 1994, when 60 cheddars were entered.”

By the way, some of this increase is believed to be down to characters like Wallace and Gromit who so famously loved eating cheese throughout their animated adventures. So much has this been the case, there was even a Wallace and Gromit cheese festival touring the UK ( https://wallaceandgromit.com/news/join-wallace-and-gromit-cheesefest-uk ).

Julius Longman, chairman of the British Cheese Awards, told me: “Cheddar production is a major part of the British cheese industry and is not only enjoyed by consumers here in Britain, but also globally. A high number of the cheesemakers who enter their cheddars into the competition export their cheeses, helping promote this wonderful cheese throughout the world.

“With its importance - and based on the number of entries we had last year - the committee decided to create two new cheddar awards so that we can celebrate all types of this delicious cheese, from cloth-bound to block produced.”

Wallace and Gromit, me, and a million other folk who love cheese are officially known as “turophiles” (a connoisseur of cheese - a cheese fancier) - and this year staff at the awards have been asking a number of leading cheddar cheesemakers what makes this particular dairy-product so appealing.  

Giles Barber, of Somerset-based Barber’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers, said: “Cheddar is such a versatile cheese that nothing comes close to being able to replace it. You can enjoy it on its own, in a sandwich with some good pickle or use it in recipes. It has such a universal appeal. Whilst diets and tastes have changed over the years, cheddar has been adaptable and is as relevant to today’s consumers as it’s ever been.”

One thing that has changed since the British Cheese Awards were first staged in 1994, is consumer taste.. 

Devon cheesemaker Mary Quicke, says: “Back in 1994 most mainstream cheddar cheese was much milder. Now cheddar flavours are much more varied. For instance, we now age cheese to up to two years and select in a way we never did before for different profiles of cheese.” 

The cheddars available today have a much wider variety of fuller flavours, be they mild or more mature - a development which, according to industry experts, has been led by changing consumer tastes.

“Another change over the past 26 years has been the increased use of technology in the production and how the cheese is matured,” said a spokesman for the awards. “All the cheesemakers we interviewed highlighted this explaining that it has helped improve the quality of the cheese.” 

At Somerset’s artisan Westcombe Dairy, for example, cheesemakers use a robot to turn and brush the cheeses in its purpose built maturing rooms. The robot is affectionately known as ‘Tina the Turner’…

Somehow, you can imagine all sorts of shenanigans going on if Tina was to appear in a Wallace and Gromit production. I have visions of Wallace tinkering with her workings and the robot taking over the farm and the fairylands around Cheddar.

But maybe I’m only having that nightmare because I’ve eaten too much cheese…

RECIPES

Quicke's Signature Cheese Scones

“The quintessential British snack, our recipe repertoire wouldn't be complete without our signature cheese scones,” says Mary Quicke on her company’s website  https://www.quickes.co.uk

“ We've combined our classic Mature Clothbound Cheddar with our very own take on Red Leicester - our Quicke's Devonshire Red.  But this recipe works with any of our cheeses, it's a great way to use up any left over bits of cheese you have. 

Spread with a thick helping of Quicke's Cows' Whey Butter and a dollop of chutney; the perfect choice for a savoury, summery afternoon tea. 

Ingredients 

• 680g (24oz) plain flour

• 170g (6oz) Quicke's Cows' Whey Butter

• 285g (10oz) Quicke's Mature Clothbound Cheddar, grated

• 340g (12floz) milk

• 75g (3oz) Quicke's Devonshire Red Clothbound Cheese, grated

• Salt and pepper

 Method

1. Heat the over to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the Quicke's Cows' Whey Butter.

3. Stir in Quicke's Mature Cheddar and then the milk to form a soft dough.

4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/3/4in thick. Use 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on the baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.

5. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and top with Quicke's Devonshire Red Cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack. Spread thickly with Quicke's Cow's Whey Butter and a good dollop of chutney.
   
   

Barber’s 1833 Cheddar, Wiltshire Bacon and Garden Pea Risotto 

Ingredients

• 125g of Barber’s 1833 Vintage reserve cheddar

• 2 x small onions / shallots

• 120g garden peas

• 100ml dry white wine

• 250g risotto rice

• 125g butter

• 250g smoked bacon chunks

• 350/400ml vegetable stock

1. Method

2. Heat butter frying pan and add the onion.

3. Fry for 5 minutes until translucent.

4. Add the risotto rice and stir well, ensuring every grain is coated in butter.

5. Grill bacon chunks under the grill until browned and crispy

6. Pour in the wine and let it bubble until it’s almost all evaporated. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, adding more stock only once the last ladleful has been absorbed.

7. Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the garden peas, remove and drain

8. Once the rice is cooked, stir through grated Barber’s Cheddar.

9. Stir in the bacon chunks

10. Stir in drained peas

11. Place a tray lined with baking parchment and sprinkled with the remaining grated cheddar under a hot grill. Grill until the cheddar is bubbling and brown. Remove from the grill and allow to cool for 4 to 5 minutes – it will crisp up

12. Break chunks of the cheddar crisp up and place on risotto as garnish.