A group of American cheese enthusiasts has just completed a tour of the west country, taking in the world famous Montgomery Cheddar made in North Cadbury. The trip, organised by ‘’Cheese Journeys’’ based in Utah, visited London, Devon and Somerset – where they stayed at the grand North Cadbury Court, owned by the cheese making Montgomery family.
Organiser Anna Juhl, of Cheese Journeys, said she runs the annual tours like this in order to educate an American audience about the joys of British cuisine.
She said: “Our guests, and the social media audience in the USA (who were following our every step) have all shared their expressions of appreciation for the beauty, the hosts and producers and the uniqueness of this type of food travel experience. Unfortunately, many Americans have little understanding of the history, food culture and beauty of rural England.”
Tenaya Darlington, from Philadelphia, who writes a popular blog under the name ‘Madame Fromage’ said: “I think what Anna has created with Cheese Journeys is a new dimension of the food industry — combining education and travel around cheese”.
“Food tourism is popular in the U.S., but no one that I know is using cheese as a focus to teach food lovers about history, regionality, agriculture, and affinage.
Cheese Journeys has emerged at a critical point in the States – Americans are educating themselves by the droves about wine, craft beer, coffee, and single origin chocolate. I hope that cheese appreciation will be the next trend!”
The group plans to come back to North Cadbury Court in 2016.
For more information about Cheese Journeys visit: www.cheesejourneys.com