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My book ‘Cheesespotting’ is being updated for its second edition which will be called ‘British Cheese Spotting’ to highlight the focus of the book. As well as relaunching the book, there will also be some exciting news about Cheese Spotting […]

Over the last two days I have been watching the final judging of the 2024 Virtual Cheese Awards. Here are the class winners and overall winners… Gold : Witheridge in Hay (Nettlebed Creamery)Silver : Stoney Cross (Lyburn Cheesemakers)Bronze : Stichleton

Having been invited to judge at the 2024 British Cheese Awards at the Bath & West Showground, here are some of the key results… Supreme Champion : Snowdrop (Cote Hill Cheese)Reserve Champion : Cashel Blue (Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers)Best Fresh :

Next week I will be carrying out my first judging of 2024 at the prestigious British Cheese Awards at the Bath & West Showground in Somerset. This will be the first of three major awards that I will be judging

On the third Sunday of every months, there is a truly amazing market held in Chiswick, dedicated to cheese. Organised and run by The Cookbook Kitchen, a group of women dedicated to great food including chefs, writers, restauranteurs, designers, they

Travelling north from England to Scotland on the M6 Motorway means passing the majestic landscapes of the Lake District, with its mountains and fells far to the west. Having left the signs to Keswick and the northern lakes far behind,

268 pages : 54938 words : 270 cheesemakers : 1788 cheeses : 114 cheesemongers – publication and launch in less than a week. #cheesespotting

Only ever made in the Douro Valley in Portugal. Partly fermented wine with the fermentation stopped by the addition of aguardente (grape spirit) to increase the alcohol content and leave residual unfermented sugar resulting in a sweet wine. Primarily made

Roger Bigod came to England as a poor knight during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century and as a reward for his contribution to the victory, he was granted the title of Earl of Norfolk. Amongst his various estates

One of only a limited edition of 1600 bottles produced by Greyfriars as a white Pinot Noir using ripe 2022 fruit. Complex flavours of caramelised lemon with praline nut brittle sprinkled over the top. Greyfriars Vineyard is located on the

If you have never listened to The English Wine Diaries podcast, I highly recommend that you do. Hosted by brilliant journalist and editor Rebecca Pitcairn as part of her website The Southern Quarter : The Home of English Wine, she

Late May Bank Holiday weekend saw a unique event at one of the oldest vineyards in Britain, Biddenden. It was believed to be the first ever public planting of a new vineyard. Fortunately, the Barnes family, who have owned Biddenden

For the second time this year, I was privileged to be invited by Marasby to join them as part of an expert panel for an innovative tasting. Marasby is the brainchild of Simon Huntington and Talya Roberson and was founded

Melton Mowbray is clearly one of the ‘cheese capitals’ of Britain (as well as being home to the famous Pork Pie!). It is in this delightful Rutland town’s cattle market that the annual Artisan Cheese Festival is held each summer,

Last week I was privileged to be part of an expert tasting panel brought together to blind taste English Pinot Noirs from the 2020 vintage. The event was organised by Marasby, a business set up to be ‘your destination for

It was 2nd January before I managed to visit my first British vineyard of 2023. In this case it was the excellent Burn Valley in Norfolk. Located in North Creake only 5 miles from the magnificent North Norfolk coast with

My next book ‘British Cheese and Wine Pairing’ will contain some recipes containing these two superb ingredients. Each recipe has been created for this book but are sometimes based on classics. In this case, the traditional and somewhat old-fashioned bread

C6H12O6 → 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 is the formula for fermentation or in simple terms, one molecule of glucose or fructose converts into two molecules each of ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide, as a result of the addition of yeast. In additon,

In the course of researching my second book ‘British Cheese and Wine Pairing’, I have visited a large number of vineyards throughout England in the past year. I am only focussing on those vineyards who actually make wine on site.

It can be bought at a number of independent bookshops and cheese shops – some of which are listed below… British Cheese on Toast : Over 100 recipes with farmhouse cheeses’ was published in September 2020 by Headline Publishing (part of

If you eat cheese with bread or crackers, the protein in the cheese slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. It therefore helps to balance blood-sugar levels, warding off cravings and improving mood. If you have the cheeseboard instead of a

Cheese contains an amino acid called tyrosine, which makes us feel good and aids stress recovery. The fat in cheese helps our bodies to produce dopamine, another natural feel good chemical.

Many people worry about lactose in cheese, but most cheese is almost lactose free!  Lactose is a sugar carbohydrate and is less than 0.1g per 100g. The whey, which is drained off during the cheesemaking process, contains most of the

Many people wonder why the French eat so much cheese yet don’t seem to have the same weight problems that we British suffer from. The key is the portion size – a typical French cheese portion is about the same

The myth about cheese keeping us awake and giving us nightmares was started by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol. In fact, cheese contains one of the essential amino acids, a protein called tryptophan, which when it reaches the brain,

Cheese lasts for a lot longer than most people realise – providing that it is stored correctly. Domestic fridges are usually too dry and lack humidity which can lead to the cheese drying out. I recommend using waxed paper which

It’s a bright, sunny Good Friday (is this really an English Bank Holiday? Sunshine?) and you have four days ahead of you to relax and enjoy yourself.If you are wondering what to do with friend and family, I want to