10 Best English Cheeses…?

For the first time today, I picked up the Independent’s sister newspaper the i and low and behold there was an article on page 35 – 10 best English cheeses, they state we are in the golden age for local produce and what would be finer to top off a dinner party (or wedding) than some delicious cheese – couldn’t agree more!

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.

 

Wedding Guests…

I don’t think there are many people who could boast such interesting names at their wedding. Fancy having the joy of presenting to your
guests the prestigious Montgomery, Leicester of Sparkenhoe, Colston Basset and that old sage Derby with a bit of Godminstering from the Cropwell Bishop and that famous reprobate the Stinking Bishop. And indeed, these VIPs in no way over-shadow that particularly wild
garlic Yarg, the Lincolnshire Poacher or the little Dambuster in his black coat.

Also, one must never forget to introduce the beautiful White Nancy and some of her ash-coated friends. We will always being giving Two
Hoots for those wonderful blues from Barkham and enjoy the ‘fairy dust on grass’ from Ireland.

These are a few of the wonderful names you could ‘drop’ when you choose to have a cheese wedding cake made from whole cheese. It’s fun and, I promise, you will not be disappointed, nor will your guests!

‘Who named that cheese?’

Keith Miller, writing in the Telegraph Weekend 23 October, claims he has never tasted a British world-class cheese and finds the names chosen by our artisan cheese makers really really silly, quoting Stinking Bishop, Yarg and Ticklemore as examples. 

We don’t consider he is worth the effort of even attempting to enlighten him as he is obviously biased towards the Mediterranean, hence is choice of headline referring to the ‘warm South’ and his one and only published book on St Peter’s in Rome – we rest our case.

If he wishes to remain in total ignorance of the delicious cheeses that are on offer from our British cheese makers – then all the more for us. The fact that he can’t remember their interesting names rather indicates a failing memory; maybe the onset of dementia which might explain a lot.