Cheese Fair

3 Aug 2010 - Think "cheese" and one would not automatically think "England". However, these days one of the biggest cheese fairs in Europe takes place in Nantwich, Chesshire. Everywhere you look it is Brie, Gouda, Stilton, Gruyere and Cheddar. Teams of stern, white-coated judges make their way through this array - fingering, touching, sniffing and of course tasting each sample. Behind the stalls, the producers anxiously look on. Here, cheese is a very serious business indeed. In total more than 3,000 entrants from 24 countries have submitted their products for inspection. Moreover, on the first day of the fair more than 30,000 enthusiastic Britons attended the fair. Gone are the days that a slice of cheddar is good for a sandwich, people now have great culinary expectations and talk a complicated gastronomic language. The word 'cheese revolution' comes to mind and could England lead the way?