Cheese & Wine Information

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, there is a whole heap of other chemistry going on at the same time… Esters are aromatic compounds that are part of the glucose molecules that are released as the yeast consumes the glucose, These esters are the cause of the citrus, fruity and floral characteristics that are found in young wines. Tannins are the antioxidant polyphenols that naturally occur

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 from Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa grapes but other varieties may be used. Ruby PortFermented then stored in stainless steel tanks, blended and filtered to retain brilliant red colour. Least expensive style. Reserve PortPremium ruby port (previously known as ‘vintage character’ – name now banned). Tawny PortAged in wooden barrels for colour and oxidation. Mellows to a golden-brown colour with

From my book ‘British Cheese Cookery’ (available on Amazon), this is not a recipe, but a surprising and very tasty suggestion. It is advised to keep a small piece of blue cheese in the freezer permanently so that you can produce this taste sensation at a moment’s notice. Ingredients Method

On the third Sunday of every month, London’s only dedicated cheese market is held at The Old Market Place, Chiswick High Road (opposite M&S), W4 2DR. Cheesemakers. cheesemongers, cheese accessories, cheese based street food stalls – it’s all here for cheeselovers once a month. At Market HQ, you will find a free tasting each month, featuring cheeses based on a seasonal theme. Every market at 09:45, join Steve’s Market Tour for an inside look at his pick of the market, sampling cheeses which are particularly interesting, new or simply tasting fantastic that day – a chance to try some cheeses

I am currently writing the London Cheese Guide : Where to find British cheeses in the capital. If you see me wandering the street of London I am researching more great places to include in the book. Cheesemongers, markets, counters and restaurants all feature in this great new book. If you know of somewhere that you think I may have missed, please let me know. Publication due June 2025 (I hope)

Readers of British Cheese Spotting, usually referred to as ‘cheese spotters’, enjoy seeking out cheeses that they haven’t seen or tried before and recording their observations but have requested a way of recording more information about the cheeses they have found and tasted. This notebook answers that request – available online or from great cheese shops.

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 (Stichelton Dairy) Best Cheddar : Montgomery’s Mature (Montgomery Cheese)Best Territorial : Mrs Bourne’s Cheshire (Bournes Cheshire)Best Blue : Yorkshire Blue (Shepherd’s Purse)Best Enhanced : Howling Hound (Godminster)Best Speciality : Witheridge in Hay (Nettlebed Creamery)Best Artisan Soft : Buffalo Blue (Shepherd’s Purse)Best Artisan Hard : Gorwydd Caerphilly (Trethowan Bros)Best Artisan Soft (Own Herd) : Stichleton (Stichelton Dairy)Best Artisan Hard (Own Herd)

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 : St.Jude (St Jude Cheese)Best English : Tor (White Lake)Best Soft White : Tunworth (Hampshire Cheese)Best Rind Washed : Merry Wyfe of Bath (Bath Soft Cheese Company)Best Traditional Cheddar : Pitchfork (Trethowan’s Dairy)Best Territorial : Rutland Red (Long Clawson Dairy)Best Blue : Cashel Blue (Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers)Best Flavour-Added : Wild Garlic Yarg (Lynher Dairies)Best New Cheese : Snowdrop (Cote Hill Cheese)Best

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 this year. The other two are The Artisan Cheese Awards and The International Cheese and Dairy Awards (more of them to follow in later blogs). So what does being a cheese judge involve? Firstly one has to properly attired and equipped for the role. Either a white coat (lab coat style) or an apron – essential from a hygiene point

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, travellers thoughts soon focus on the rapidly approaching border with Scotland, but still looking to the west is the coastal flatlands of the Solway Plain. Although not as well known as the lakes and mountains to the south, this border region has a rich and varied history as well as having diverse cultural and natural importance. At the centre of

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 throughout East Anglia was Bungay Castle in northern Suffolk.  The River Waveney which forms the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk passed through his land and just to the south of the river lies the present day Fen Farm Dairy, home of the cheese known as Baron Bigod.  Jonny Crickmore, the creator of the cheese likes to think that if Baron

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 sunny south facing chalk slopes of the Hog’s Back at Puttenham, just to the west of Guildford. Originally planted in 1989, the current owners, Mike and Hilary Wagstaff, took over in 2010, since when they have increased the total vine area to over 50 acres on three sites. Having also built a state of the art winery, bottling line and

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 interviews the great and the good from the world of English wine. Winemakers, sommeliers, chefs, critics, writers, she interviews one person in each episode. I was privileged to be asked by Rebecca to be Episode 51 when she interviewed me about English cheese, English wine and my journey through them. Use the link below to have a listen : 32

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 three generation, not only own their own vineyards and make their own wines and ciders, but one of the sons owns and runs one of the country’s leading vineyard planting and management companies. So between them, they were able to showcase one of Kent’s finest vineyard operations. Following a drinks reception where Biddenden’s Gribble Bridge Sparkling White, 2018 was

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 to highlight the quality and taste revolution happening in the UK food and drink scene. Their mission is to discover British Deliciousness. To understand exactly what they are all about, here is an extract from their latest publication. “The UK is the world’s most exciting cool climate wine region. Yet, 99% of the wine we drink is imported. Discover English

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, organised by the brilliant Matthew O’Callaghan. Prior to the weekend festival there is the serious matter of judging the Artisan Cheese Awards, with entries only open to the smaller cheesemakers of Britain and Ireland. The festival sees the announcement of the long awaited results of this ever popular competition. Such is the interest that some of the country’s top cheesemakers

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 everything local, sustainable, and delicious’.Founded by Talya and Simon, they have created a platform for sustainable, high quality UK produce, starting with wine. In their own words, ‘it’s the home of British Delicious’.As well as the two founders, they work closely with wine expert and photographer Ed Dallimore, author of The Vineyards of Britain.I highly recommend checking out Marasby’s website –

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 its masses of wading birds and seals, 12 acres have been planted with vines on the family farm. The addition of their own extensive winery has given owner and winemaker Laura Robinson all the tools she needs to crafty a truly wonderful range of wines covering all styles. This is really quite an achievement given that 53° North is getting

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. There are about 160 of them in total, but there are a further 700 who grow grapes but but have their wine made elsewhere. Amongst those that I have visited and am featuring in the book are….. Daws HillLaurel VinesChet Valley,BarnsoleHambledonChapel DownStanlake ParkQuob ParkWoodchester ValleyPebblebedAstleyBluebellBurn ValleyHarrow and HopeWiston EstateCharles PalmerMereworthStophamYorkshire HeartNew HallHattingley ValleyChafor EstateHalfpenny GreenKnightorTrevibban MillRathfinnyBlackdown RidgeWestwellMarlingsDenbiesOff the LineLanghamBlack ChalkCourt

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 Hachette) as a hardback and e-book. As a supporter of independent retaliers, I would encourage you to support these local shops but if all else fails, there is always that online retailer. INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOPS Regency Bookshop, Surbiton The Kew Bookshop, Kew Gardens The Sheen Bookshop, Richmond INDEPENDENT CHEESESHOPS Cheese at Leadenhall, City of London ONLINE RETAIL Most of the above

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 pudding, you will avoid a sudden spike in sugar levels which you would get from a sugary dessert. Sugar is burned very quickly but cheese will keep you feeling full for longer.

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 lactose from the milk, leaving very little in the cheese itself. If however, you are seeking to lower the lactose even further, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses are even lower and any cheese that has been aged for over 18 months is virtually lactose free.

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 size as a matchbox after which it is cleared away. We tend to leave the cheeseboard out and eat our way through it all – that’s where we go wrong.

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, breaks down into two other amino acids, both of which are relaxants which have a sedative effect, helping you to sleep.

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 allows the cheese to breathe whilst protecting it. Most quality cheese shops will sell cheese wrapped in waxed paper. Failing that, you can use cling film, but remember if you do use it, only wrap the cut face of the cheese, allowing the rind to be exposed to the air. The cheese has been breathing through the rind ever since

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 share with you a wonderful day we enjoyed last weekend – highly recommended and very local. Denbies Vineyard, Westhumble, near DorkingWalk amongst the vines in the sunshine (walks of varying lengths depending on your stamina), tour of the winery, wine tasting, gift shop, coffee shop (delicious cakes), top quality farm shop and plant centre. Plus Surrey Hills Brewery on the