Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), are the group behind the scare tactics in order to get Americans to cut the cheese!  Well in this case it might be true, after all it was reported that each American ate 32.4 pounds of cheese a year!

However, as I have mentioned before the real reason why many of us may be overweight has nothing to do with chocolate and cheese, but lack of sleep! Researchers at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital claim that people who sleep for less than seven hours a night are more likely to be overweight.

The study has revealed we need to tuck into those sleep-boosting foods. Foods rich in tryptophan, such as nuts, beans, fish, CHEESE and eggs which contain essential amino acids for the human diet, these foods eaten during the day, will help you sleep better at night.

So, my question to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is – how any hours does each American spend watching TV or playing video games rather than sleeping or taking exercise!

However, the cheese can’t be called stilton, even though it is from Stilton! Why? Production moved to Leicestershire, and in 1996 the Stilton Cheese Makers Association (SCMA) imposed a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) order meaning that stilton cheese could only be produced in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

But, nevertheless, Stilton has come home, thanks to an amateur archaeologist Richard Landy who has made a stilton cheese, from the new recipe, at the Bell Inn, Stilton, which is going to be called Bell Blue.

So whatever you are up to this Christmas – we hope you’ll be enjoying some delicious cheese over the festive break, perhaps the new Bell Blue!

Merry Christmas

Made from premium white Stilton with a combination of real edible gold leaf and real gold liqueur, Long Clawson Dairy claim it to be Britain’s ‘blingiest’ cheese, 67 times more pricey than regular Stilton, which comes in at around 90p for 100g. At £60.87 per 100g slice, or £608 a kilo, Clawson Stilton Gold is the world’s most expensive Stilton and the most expensive cheese of any kind made in the UK.

So if you want a bit of bling on your cheese wedding cake this is one for you!

The latest research by Nationwide found that one-in-four adults are putting their dreams on hold as they cannot afford to buy a property, get married, or start a family. With the average wedding costing up to £21,000 a fifth of people are delaying getting married because of the cost and 8% say that a lack of money has put them off marriage permanently!

The latest government statistics show that the number of marriages in the UK is currently at an all-time low of approximately 266,950 per year, compared to 313,551 five years ago.

Apparently the country is divided  when it comes to traditional values as 53% of couples in the North-East would choose starting a family ahead of buying a house, or getting married, compared to those in the South.

Here are our wedding saving top tips:

1)      Plan ahead. If you get started early, you’ll have the time and flexibility to shop sales, or even plan the whole event  yourself allowing you to  comparison shop.

2)     Get married on a Sunday or a Friday – This will help you cut costs across the board.

3)      Buy decorative lights and glittery items in the sale after Christmas. If you’re planning on decorating with string lights, pick them up dirt cheap at after-Christmas sales.

4)     Print your own invitations.

5)     Do your own hair and makeup – If you’re not planning to do something too complicated.

6)     Carry a single stem instead of a bouquet.

7)     Candles can usually be purchased for less than flowers, so light up the room!

8)     A Buffet instead of a sit down meal will always work out cheaper and will ensure that people with special dietary requirements are catered for.

9)     Select a venue that lets you bring in your own catering and alcohol.

10)  Forget dessert, just serve a cheese wedding cake.

11)  Don’t mention the word ‘WEDDING’ until you have to….

Russell Holland, marketing director at Checkpoint Systems, which compiled the report, said the profile of the typical shoplifter had changed during the economic slump. “You might have a good income and lifestyle and want to maintain it,” he added. “There is no typical shoplifter any more. It’s a broad profile across age, ethnic group, gender and income bands.”

Luxury cheese was the most popular item targeted, with 3.9 per cent of stock stolen, compared to e 2.9 per cent of cooked meat!

Would you Edam and Eve it!

We love Capria soft goat cheese made by Lightwood Cheeses and will be featuring it in one of our wedding cakes this weekend.

Lightwood Cheese is set in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside, a stone’s throw from the birthplace of Edward Elgar. All their cheeses are entirely handmade and unpasteurised, Lightwood Cheese is a member of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association and are also found in Rick Stein’s Food Heroes Guide.

The other cheese we must mention here is, Ticklemore made in Devon, not only does is have a fantastic name it is a delicious goats cheese that no-one could resist! It is made with full fat unpasteurised milk, giving it a fat content of 48%. Each cheese is hand moulded in baskets, giving them an unusual flattened sphere shape.

Chaource

Surprisingly, according to the Daily Telegraph, a study by Sainsbury’s has found that, whereas readers of most newspapers prefer bog-standard cheddar, Daily Telegraph readers favour Chaource, from the Champagne region of France.

Chaource is a delicious soft white cheese and has featured as a ‘topper’ on more than one occasion on our wedding cakes – it is a perfect size!

 Marks and Spencers have just launched their very own cheese wedding cakes online. Their four tier cake is made up of English cheddar, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester, soft blue and goat’s cheese. The M&S spokesman Chris O’Sullivan said: “For those who prefer something ­savoury, a cheese cake makes a perfect option.”

It most certainly does Mr O’Sullivan, we couldn’t agree with you more! The Cheese Wedding Cake has undoubtedly become more popular in the UK over the last few years and I get a lot less of – you make cakes out of cheese – sweet cake, right? No, cheese – whole wheels of cheese! Yes – Brie, Cheddar…..

I guess for some people the traditional fruitcake has died a death, but some do like to stick with traditions – so we say, have both!

If you have a passion for cheese – it is the most delicious thing you can have at the end of your wedding meal, rather than something sweet. Plus most of your guests will have already had pudding – so save those cupcakes for when you get home and share the cheese.

So I’m guessing you want to hear their top ten?

1.     Mature Wookey Hole Cave Farmhouse cheddar – yum yum!

2.     Rachel – a tasty wash-rind goats’ cheese, made by Pete Humphries (White Lake Cheese) from Somerset . Apparently he named the cheese after an old flame! We are big fans of this cheese and try an incorporate it as much as possible into our cheese wedding cakes.

3.     Kirkham’s Lancashire – a traditional handmade farmhouse cheese - we do love this cheese, but I think we would have gone for a Lincolnshire Poacher!? instead!

4.     Real Yorkshire Wensleydale with Cranberries – loved by Wallace and Grommet and also very much loved by a customer who wanted a whole Wensleydale cake! Red and Black wedding cake

5.     Stilton – technically it has to be made in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Leicestershire to carry the proud name of Stilton, so the Colston Bassett is a true stilton! But what’s in a name – we’d certainly put it in our top ten

6.     Somerset Camembert –rich and creamy and always the great topper for a wedding cake.

7.     Stinking Bishop – also a Wallace and Grommet favourite, but not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m a fan, but you have to spread it thinly on your cracker or you are just eating ’feet’!

8.     Blackstick Blue, one of Butlers creations in created in 2003; a family run business who have been making cheese in Lancashire since 1932

9.     Cornish Yarg – always a favourite of ours,  Lynher Diary, the home of the Yarg –  a scrumptious semi-hard cheese from Cornwall, make one of the most visually stunning cheeses, especially their heart shaped one  - all wrapped in nettle leaves.

 10.  Mature Cheshire – The Bourne family have been making cheese for 250 years. Funnily enough we have a wedding booking in October for this mature Cheshire , so keep a look out for the pics we’ll be posting.

We think it is too hard to have a top ten – there are so many exciting and tasty cheeses out there – definitely something for everyone.

Sadly, only four of our cheeses have protected name status – Stilton being one of them – it has to be made in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Leicestershire to carry the proud name of Stilton.