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 taste for us.

Walo’s award for his Gruyère builds on last year’s sensational win, where he collected the prestigious Bradbury’s Trophy, also known as Supreme Champion Continental International

With a hint of Parmesan, Old Winchester cheese, also known as Old Smales, is incredibly versatile when used in cooking. It adds the perfect finish to all manner of dishes. Here's one such example created by The Fine Cheese Co. Bath's Head Chef, Laurent.

So, dust off your vegetable peeler because you'll need it for this great-tasting roasted beetroot and celery, with Old Winchester cheese and walnut recipe.

Ingredients

400g Mixed-colour beetroot
1 Bunch of celery
50g Walnut
60g Old Winchester cheese
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Method

1. Peel the beetroot and cut it into quarters, like you would do with an apple.
2. Peel the celery to remove the stringy parts and then cut it into chunks.
3. Roast the vegetables in two separate trays at 190°C, with a tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper until they become soft to the centre.
4. Make a dressing with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
5.

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 cheeses, and they sourced milk from a small, family farm five miles’ away. Pavé Cobble was the result.

It wasn’t just Pavé Cobble that came away with an award, though. Some of our other, stunning artisan cheeses were singled out for greatness by judges from across the cheese world.

Beauvale, a creamy and mellow blue from Nottingham, won the coveted Best Blue category, while Westcombe Cheddar, a traditional,

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 milk cheese that they continue to win prestigious awards such as this.”

£10,000 of prize money

During the awards, a total of 24 prizes were awarded, recognising the best of artisan cheese-making.

Who’s ready for one of the biggest cheese events of the year? It’s almost time for the eighth Artisan Cheese Fair, which is taking place on 29^th and 30^th April between 10am and 4pm.

There will be more than 60 cheese-makers and upwards of 300 different cheeses at the Artisan Cheese Fair 2017, so it’s easy to see why this is the UK’s largest event of this kind.

Of course, The Fine Cheese Co. isn’t only attending, we will have a stall and, on top of that, we helped judge the Artisan Cheese Awards. The winners of this prestigious event will be announced on Saturday night at a glitzy awards ceremony.

We’ve also sponsored the mightiest award of them all, the Supreme Champion, and we can’t wait to see who the well-deserved winner is as they'll be presented with a £1,000 cheque from us.

At the Artisan Cheese Fair, you’ll be able to find The Fine Cheese Co. on stand A19. We’ll be showcasing our Flavoured Crackers, Fine English and Toast for Cheese range.

On top of that, there will be Fruits

As I landed in Boston Logan ready for my Jasper Hill Farm adventure, the heaviest snow storm in years swept in and the city was left knee deep in snow. Then, while the hordes of workers filed out to clear the pavements and roads with shovels in hand, I imagined what the route North to subarctic Vermont would look like.

Despite my concerns, it ended up being fine thanks to our all-wheel drive vehicle. That is, until we ventured onto the back roads, where we narrowly missed the undefined road and beached on a covered snow bank. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to be within walking distance of our lodgings.

It is the norm at Jasper Hill Farm to start early and finish late. So, in order to get the authentic experience, we braved Jasper Hill’s notorious elements and trudge out at dawn. Matteo and Andy Kehler began their farming and cheese-making activities in 1999. Their vision was to bring life back to the dying dairy industry in the region that they loved. It was a bold move at a time when

Delicious, a television series on Sky 1, has just finished its four-episode run and we were over the moon to see that a number of The Fine Cheese Co. partner products had starring roles. The eagle eyed among you will have caught appearances from Artisan Du Chocolat, La Tourangelle, Serrats and Van Nahmen.

Our partner brands shared screen time with several big-name British actors and actresses, including Ian Glen, Emilia Fox and Dawn French. The series has been written by Dan Sefton, who was previously responsible for Mr Selfridge and the Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Set in Cornwall, Delicious describes itself as a surprising and compelling story of love, heartbreak, food and female friendship. When your best friend is your husband’s ex – can you ever really be friends or will your secrets eventually overwhelm you?

Dawn French’s character Gina was once married to Leo Vincent (Glen), a successful entrepreneur, chef and hotel owner, with whom she shares a daughter. Leo made his fortune