Great British Cheddar Challenge

No 2 Pound Street is one of the leading artisan food and wine retailers in the UK. Passionate about cheese, wine, charcuterie we are championing customers to eat better - both through their weekly shop and also at our inspiring street food events. James Grant is a cheese writer and educator. He is also available for exclusive tastings.

Bucks Cheese Guy LTD

The Great British Cheddar Challenge launches this September to celebrate artisan cheddar production in the UK.

<h3>The Great British Cheddar Challenge – How it Works</h3>•	Why should I pre-register for the Cheddar Challenge?To guarantee delivery of your 6 artisan cheeses. £35 buys you 6 cheeses, enough for 4 to share.•	How will the tasting event work?This is an online blind tasting of 6 cheddars. Each cheddar will be wrapped and numbered. You only need to order your cheese and join the online tasting. Participants will be given a link to a formatted tasting sheet. This will be used to professionally asses each cheddar with the expert cheese panel and producers. Comedian and cheese lover Marcus Brigstocke •	What is 'The People's Choice'? Why is it a good thing?The peoples choice cheddar will be the cheese that is most favoured from the 6 tasted. It is a good thing to shout about the peoples choice as it will be an artisan cheddar picked for its unique flavour profile. All Cheddars will have a unique flavour and the one that is most celebrated on the evening will receive more coverage. In turn and most importantly we will increase awareness of real artisan cheese and help drive up much needed sales. •	Who can join and take part in the Cheddar Challenge?Everyone is welcome to watch live online from anywhere in the World. Obviously having the cheese with you is a bonus as you will be able to interact with the producers and cheese panel.•	How does voting for their favourite cheese work?At the end of the tasting you will be asked to pick their favourite cheese. You will choose the number that corresponds with your favourite cheddar and then click the choice. The most voted cheddar will be announced at the Big Cheese Weekender – hosted by The Academy of Cheese. •	What if they don't buy the cheddar?You can still join online to watch and listen to the proceedings. •	Do I have to buy the official box or can I buy the cheeses separately?If you wish to buy the cheeses separately you are more than welcome. Order through your local participating retailer. The cheese will be wrapped and named unlike the tasting boxes. Also you will not have access to unique Academy of Cheese tasting sheets. The link to the event can be found online via the Academy of Cheese or participating retailers. •	How much &amp; when will the tasting boxes go on sale/when should they order the cheese?Tasting boxes are £35 They are available to reserve immediately from all participating cheese mongers and retailers. Cheese boxes will be delivered from the 11th of September. •	What's in the tasting box?6 real artisan cheddars that are wrapped and numbered instead of named. There will also be a link to the tasting event and official AOC printable tasting sheets. There will be enough cheese for 4 to share. The cheeses that will be included in the box are listed below.•	What if I can't make the event?The event is online you can dial in wherever you are in the World. It goes out at 19:00 GMT on the 16th of September. •	Do I have to vote on the day (or can I watch and vote on demand)You will need to vote on the day as the event is live. A recorded version will be made available on demand although voting is only possible on the night.Tasting Cheddars included in the box (serves 4) and numbered not named:Pitchfork – Made by Trethowen Brothers near Weston Super Mare, Somerset This cheese is first class picked by our Head of Cheese, James (World Cheese Judge) at the World Cheese Awards in Bergamo. It went on to become Englands best cheese 2019. Seen as the new boys on the block in Somerset, moving from Wales creating this wonderful organic Holstein &amp; Jersey cow's milk masterpiece. It’s flavour has savoury tones, is well balanced by bright acidity and oxo richness. It has a long lasting tangy finish. This works well with an old school British cider.Hafod – Made by the Holden Family in Bwlchwernen Fawr, Lampeter, Wales Made with raw milk from the farm’s 75 Ayrshire cows. Ayrshire milk is rich in butterfat and protein, and is widely regarded as being ideally suited to cheesemaking. Although the recipe for the cheese is very similar to that of a Cheddar, Hafod has distinctive rich, buttery, nutty flavours – indicative of the Swiss origins of the original recipe. The cheese is made in 10kg rounds, and matured to 12 months, during which time it develops a traditional mould rind.Montgomery – Made by Jamie Montgomery in North Cadbury, Somerset Montgomery cheese has been made within the Montgomery family for over 70 years and great pains are made to ensure that the recipe and quality of the cheese remain the same. So committed to the original production methods, Montgomery Cheddar still uses the traditional source of enzymes used to start the curd, calf rennet – which is one of the reasons why the Montgomery Cheddar Cheese has such character. Crowned Supreme Champion and Best of British Cheese at the Virtual Cheese Awards 2023.Quicke's – Made by legend Mary Quicke in Newton St Cyres, Devon Milk from their own pasture grazed Quicke’s cows, a mixture of Kiwi Friesian, Swedish Red and Montebeliarde. It is handmade using traditional methods before being bound in cloth and matured for 12-15 months. A rich and buttery cheddar that offers outstanding depth of flavour, which develops as it reaches the back of the palate. Brothy to grassy to caramel notes with a wonderful horseradish spice closer to the rind.Isle of Mull – Made by Brendan Reade in Near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland The herd feeds on grass in summer and hay in winter but enjoys a supplement of fermented grain throughout the year, a unique addition which only adds to the cheese's deeply flavoursome complexity. Once set and moulded, the cheeses are kept in an underground cellar to mature for up to 18 months. As a result this expresses a fantastic rugged cheddar with an almost boozy hint from the fermented grains. Mount Leinster – Made by Tom Burgess, who has been producing top quality milk from his pasture fed cows in West Wicklow, Ireland for twenty years. Tom wanted to develop a product which reflected this quality and decided it would be Mature Raw Milk Cheddar.. “Pasture to Cheddar the same day”. During this time the unique combination of enzymes &amp; proteins interact to create a gourmet experience of aroma, texture &amp; full flavour which develops slowly from sweet fruit to a full nutty note.•	What is Artisan Cheddar and why should we care about it?Artisan cheddar is not a protected name so this makes things a little tricky. Real artisan cheddar is made by a cheesemaker using a single herds milk. The cheesemaker may own the cows or buy the milk locally. The process of making the cheese is largely done by hand. This includes adding the cultures, rennet, cutting the curds salting, pressing and wrapping the cheeses in cotton muslin. Each cheesemaker will have their own recipe for making the Cheddar and some recipes will go back hundreds of years. If you are to compare the 6 cheeses that we will be tasting at the Great British Cheddar Challenge GBCC you will easily find that each cheese is different in taste. This is due to the terroir and aspect from which the cows graze. The biome of the ageing rooms are all totally unique to the cheesemakers and carry their own characteristic. Just like a fingerprint is unique to every one of us so are the true artisan cheesemakers cheeses. Artisan cheddar is more often made with RAW milk. This helps to give each hand made cheese is unique identity. Every batch will be wonderfully different according to the cows diet and the lactation cycle. •	What is the difference between Artisan and Block Cheddar?Block cheddar is made on a huge scale. Imagine an artisan producer that makes circa 150 tonnes of cheese a year. In comparison an industrial block cheddar factory can easily produce more than 200 tonnes of cheese a day. Block cheddar is pasteurised as the milk comes from many sources. This reduces the depth of flavour that artisan clearly has. Often block cheddar using other cultures not associated with true artisan cheddar production to give a sweeter taste. The true artisan producer will have their own single herd cow’s milk or from a local herd nearby. Industrial block cheddar producers will have milk delivered from hundreds of dairies up and down the country and even from overseas. Cheese VATS used in factories are more often than not closed and can contain tens of thousand of litres of milk, sometimes as much as 30,000ltrs. Artisan producers use open VATS that are sized according to the yield of their herd. Sizes of VATS generally never exceed 5000ltrs. The size of the VAT will only mirror the milk yields of their herds or the local milk sourced. Industrial closed VATS are completely mechanised taking out any human intervention. Open VATS used in artisan production are open to see the milk and work it by hand. Block cheddar is cut into large blocks and aged in vacuum packs. This is done to avoid any shrinkage and rind. It gives each block cheddar a uniformed taste with little character. Artisan cheddar is generally aged in cloth with a fat coating the cheese. There is shrinkage and a unique rind development that gives beautiful rich savoury flavours. •	Why does Artisan Cheddar taste different to Block Cheddar?It is in the interest of the Artisan producer to make a product that encapsulates the bio diversity of their flora and fauna. This is done by careful land and animal management. True artisan cheddar producers will only use sustainable and ethical methods. Their hard work shows itself in the quality and taste of the cheese produced. The cheese has a full complexed flavour that is expressive and keeps giving. Artisan RAW milk Cheddar additionally can contain probiotics that are brilliant for our gut health. Pasteurised block cheddar does not contain probiotics although occasionally this can be added. Block cheddar has a shorter flavour. It does not show the flora and flora of where the milk is sourced as it is made with milk from numerous farms and is pasteurised. •	A bit of history of Cheddar Cheese <ul><li>Since the 12th century long paper parchment, known as pipe rolls were used to keep public records. In 1155 this method of record keeping became continuously maintained. In 1170 it was recorded that King Henry II ordered 4.6 tonnes at a cost of just over £10 in todays money! This is the earliest written record of Cheddar cheese. </li><li>It is believed to have been found and first made in the South West in the village of Cheddar, Somerset. </li><li>Keeping it Royal in the 17th century during Charles I reign, Cheddar consumption outweighed production. It could then only be bought through the Royal Court. </li><li>1840, Queen Victoria was given 500 kilos of Cheddar as a wedding present.</li><li>In 1876 at Vale Court Farm, Marksbury, Somerset, Joseph Harding introduced the definitive formula for cheddar cheese. He invented several modern cheddar production methods including the peg mill for milling the curds. </li><li>Robert Falcon Scott AKA Scott of the Antarctic took the equivalent of over 1.6 tonnes of cheddar on his exploration in 1901. Cheddar is favoured by explorers for its good carbohydrates and protein that also helps to keep blood sugar high. </li><li>During WW11 Cheese producers were reduced from 3500 to just over 100. Factories produced Government Grade cheddar to help feed a Nation. </li><li>Today we are lucky to see a healthy rise in artisan cheese production with some exceptional Cheddar being produced. Although sadly real artisan cheese sales only equate to circa 3% of national cheese sales. </li><li>2023 The Great British Cheddar Challenge was founded to encourage people to see the real value in artisan over industrial. </li></ul>M﻿ore INFOThe Great British Cheddar Challenge will invite cheese lovers to challenge their perceptions of cheddar. With artisan cheddar accounting for only 3% of cheddar sales in the UK, Marcus Brigstocke and co. will guide viewers through some of the finest examples of artisan cheddar ever made – exploring how the seasons, the grass, the cows, the makers and the unique microflora in maturing rooms have influenced each truckle – before a People’s Choice Award vote to find the nation’s favourite cheddar.James Grant, founder of the Great British Cheddar Challenge and owner of No2 Pound Street, commented: “Cheddar is the nation’s undisputed big cheese, but we want to challenge people’s palates and perceptions in order to safeguard the future of those making it according to time-honoured principles. While supermarket cheddars seek to satisfy the masses with a generic flavour profile, our artisan cheesemakers are producing incredible and varied wedges using recipes, techniques and cultures going back decades and even centuries. Having lost my sense of taste for over a year, I know what it’s like to be without these magnificent cheeses, so want to do all I can to promote and preserve them for future generations. During the Great British Cheddar Challenge, we’ll be inviting the public to wrap their taste buds around cheddars with distinct flavours, aromas, textures and appearances, all a true representation of the land from which they came. We want to raise awareness, sell more cheese and get more people enjoying the best cheddars in the world.”

Agenda

Host Marcus Brigstocke will introduce and guide you through the evenings tasting. Apart from being a Comedian, Actor and just all round lovely chap - he is also a pro cheese judge and affiliated with the Academy of Cheese!

Great British Cheddar Challenge - w Marcus Brigstocke

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Great British Cheddar Challenge

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