Awards
-
Blog Awards
The British Cheese Awards are the Oscars of Britain’s cheesemaking industry, and though there isn't quite the same level of glitz and glamour as one can expect in Tinseltown, the sheer number of talented cheesemakers, and the trestle table-bucklingly large amount of artisan British and Irish cheese on display more than makes up for it.
-
Blog Awards
Sponsored by The Fine Cheese Co.
Though it’s been a while since I checked, I dimly recall gluttony being among the seven deadly sins. In fact, I’m almost positive that it is. It was fortunate then, that on the 4th May, the Artisan Cheese Awards were held in Melton Mowbray’s Church of St. Mary, that we might better atone for what was to come.
For the fourth consecutive year, cheesemakers from across Britain and Ireland congregated in Leicestershire to take part in the form of worship most suited to the epicure. All in all, 420 artisan cheeses were present for their day of judgment, in 18 different categories. Given the hallowed ground we were standing on, all in attendance felt it important to carry themselves respectfully. To follow the proper observa
-
Blog Awards
Sponsors of the 2018 British Cheese Awards: The Fine Cheese Co.
The 25th annual event was a special night for all concerned, and, as sponsors of the awards, it was all the more poignant for us, for a number of reasons.
The awards night, which was held -
Blog Awards
What a weekend it was at the 2018 Artisan Cheese Awards. We were the sponsors of the event so we spent some time in Melton Mowbray celebrating the best that the British Isles have to offer the world of fine cheese. As ever, there were triumphs and trophies galore. It is always rewarding to see the number of cheesemakers we work with come home with some gold. It is a fitting testament to the hard work they put in making the Artisan cheese market on our shores such a dynamic and vibrant one.
Here are a few of our highlights. There are of course, far too many to mention them all, but that is a small price to pay for working with the best of the best.Best in Class:
Best PDO Cheese: Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar
Best Ewes’ Milk Cheese: Berkswell
Best Raw Milk Cheese -
Blog Awards
Two of our favourites, the buffalo milk blue cheese, Blu di Bufala, and goats’ milk cheese, Rachel, hit the big time at The Guild of Fine Food’s recent World Cheese Awards in London.
Made by Caseificio Quattro Portoni , Blu di Bufala, picked up Best Italian Cheese, while White Lake Cheese’s Rachel is now officially the Best Goats’ Milk Cheese in the world.
Blu di Bufala wasn’t far off making it a perfect night. The cheese was awarded 69 points out of a possible 80 by the Super Jury of 16 judges, just shy of outright winner, Cornish Kern. It’s another tremendous accomplishment for a cheese that can’t seem to stop winning.
Blu di Bufala's winning streak continues
The trophy cabinet of Blu di Bufala must already be filled to overflowing, counting gold at Mondial du Fromage 2013 and 2015, and World’s Best Italian Cheese at the World Cheese Awards 2012 among its wins.
Not shaped liked th
-
Blog Awards
Swiss affineur, Walo von Mühlenen, has been the talk of The Fine Cheese Co. offices after his impressive haul of medals at the recent International Cheese Awards 2017 in Nantwich.
We are all so excited for Walo and all of the cheeses that picked up rosettes. In total, there were 12 awards for his tasty alpine cheeses, including two gold, five silver, two bronze and three very highly commended.
Of course, we are delighted that the Affineur Walo Le Gruyère AOC Extra Mature won a gold. However, it’s not a huge surprise to us because this cheese has been wowing us since the moment we started stocking it.
Everything about it has us grasping for another slice. From the unbelievable flavour delivered by the crunchy crystals in the cheese to the floral, fruity notes and silky texture, it was love at first tas
-
Blog Awards
White Lake, makers of the light and delicate ewes' milk cheese, Pavé Cobble, left the Bath & West Showground last night with big grins on their faces, having won a clutch of gongs at the 2017 edition of the British Cheese Awards.
Pavé Cobble picked up Best Fresh Cheese, Best Speciality Cheese, Best English Cheese and last, but by no means least, Supreme Champion, which makes this the best of the best when it comes to British cheese.
White Lake Cheese is famous for its goats’ milk cheeses. However, more recently Peter Humphries and Roger Longman decided to turn their hands to ewes’ milk c
-
Produced by the Fletcher family at Ram Hall Farm, Berkswell cheese beat more than 500 entries from 115 producers to win the Supreme Champion at this year’s Artisan Cheese Awards.
Ewes’ milk cheese, Berkswell, not only won the Supreme Champion, sponsored by us, but also the Best Farmhouse Cheese and the Best English Cheese, making it a momentous evening for farm-owner, Stephen Fletcher.
Our Co-Founder, Ann-Marie Dyas couldn’t be more pleased for the Fletchers and commented on how incredible it was that, despite making Berkswell for such a long time, they never rest on their laurels and continue honing the recipe.
“We’ve been selling Berkswell for around 30 years which is almost as long as the Fletchers have been making it. It’s a real testament to their continuing commitment to quality and raw mil
-
Blog Awards
As proud sponsors of the Best Raw Milk award at the Artisan Cheese Awards in Melton Mowbray, our very own Cheese Care Manager, Ruth Raskin, was given the honour of presenting this prestigious accolade.
Unlike other specialist cheese awards, this event was designed specifically to recognise the craft and skill of the small artisan cheesemaker. Entrants were only permitted from producers of less than 250 tonnes a year and many produce below the 50 tonne mark.
The Fine Cheese Co. sponsored the 'Best Raw Milk Cheese' category, and it was Teifi Farmhouse Cheese, the Welsh-Dutch family company, that picked up first place. Its Celtic Promise cheese, a Caerphilly-style, washed-rind cheese with a slightly moist, pink rind, was given maximum points for appearance and presentation and was deemed "interesting, with great eye appeal" by the judges.
A very high score was awarded for Celtic Promise’s body and texture, while it garnered almost maximum points for flavour and aroma. O
-
Ragstone is one of our favourite British goats' milk cheeses at The Fine Cheese Co. and to our great delight it recently won one of the most prestigious awards in our industry: The James Aldridge Memorial Trophy for Best Unpasteurised Cheese.
The award which is given in the honour of the late, pioneering cheese-maker and affineur James Aldridge and is voted for by fellow cheesemakers and members of the Specialist Cheesemaker Association -the Oscars for cheese-makers! Ragstone is an unpasteurised goats' milk cheese made by Charlie Westhead and Haydn Roberts in Herefordshire. It was one of Charlie's first creations and Charlie named it after 'Ragstone Ridge' which ran close to his original dairy in Sevenoaks, Kent.
It is made with a twist on the traditional French Ste Maure, by the addition of a white mould. The curd is first set overnight, before being hand-ladled into log shaped moulds. At 2-3 weeks the cheese has developed it's milky-white coat, its flavour is lemony and its texture mellow and creamy.