The British Cheese Awards 2018 takes place on Wednesday 30th May 2018 at the Royal Bath & West Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. For lovers of cheese and fine food it makes for a ‘must visit’ show.
The awards are celebrating its 25th birthday and is the pre-eminent cheese event in the UK, as well as a great celebration of British cheese and the industry. With over 1,000 cheeses expected to be entered visitors will get a unique opportunity to see all these cheeses in one location.
The British Cheese Awards forms part of the Royal Bath & West Show, that takes place from Wednesday 30th May to Saturday 2nd June. Tickets for the show can be purchased online at www.bathandwest.com and cost £20 per adult ticket (Gate Price will be £25), which includes FREE entrance for two children.
Judging for the awards takes place from 9am on 30th May and members of the public will be able to observe this unique judging process from a dedicated area in the judging room. Judges will score the cheeses on presentation, texture, aroma, flavour and balance. Dependent on the scores that each cheese receives, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded.
Then from about 1pm onwards on the same day, once the judging has finished, visitors will be able to have a close up view of all the cheeses that have been judged.
As well as the awards there will also be the Cheese Marquee where British cheesemakers who have entered the awards will be selling their delicious products. There will also be a variety of cheese tastings and talks for visitors to enjoy. So if it’s a traditional farmhouse Cheddar or a more adventurous cheese, such as a highly fragrant washed rind cheese, there will be a great selection of products to buy and take home to enjoy. There will also be the chance to talk to some of the cheesemakers about the cheeses they make.
The awards that the cheesemakers will be hoping to win include Supreme Champion, the Reserve Champion, the four Country Awards and the eight Main Category Awards. There will also be 13 Special Awards, including a new award this year for Best Specialist Cheesemaker. Last year’s Supreme Champion was Pavé Cobble, made by Roger Longman and Pete Humphries of White Lake Cheese Ltd. from Somerset.
Last year the competition attracted 1,000 entries from 148 makers. Cheeses entered came from over 54 counties that covered the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland, showing just how vibrant the British Cheese Industry is today. For 2018, 90 judges will judge 136 classes of cheese in nine categories.
As well as visiting the British Cheese Awards, visitors will be able to enjoy all the other activities that the Royal Bath & West Show has to offer. Attractions include world-class livestock, live music and the very best of British Food & Drink. High quality competition runs through every section of the show and includes the British Cider Championships and International Sheep Shearing. The Cattle section sees the introduction of Ayrshire and British Blonde classes, and after the record breaking entry of 1,500 sheep in 2017, a superior marquee is required and new breed classes added for the North Country Cheviots and Southdowns. Machinery will be to the fore in the Main Ring as Tractor Ted and Redlynch Agricultural Engineering join forces supporting the Show’s chosen charity Child Bereavement UK. 600+ exhibitors offer an unrivalled shopping experience with the likes of Jaguar, Volvo, Joules and Loakes Footwear presenting their latest products. The Royal Bath & West Show will be an exceptional experience.
Sponsors for this year’s awards include the following companies: Atalanta Corp, Atlas Packaging, Aubrey Allen, Barbers, Berkshire Labels, Bord Bia, Coombe Castle International, DuPont™ Danisco®, Harvey & Brockless, OMSCo, Paxton & Whitfield, Peter Green Chilled, Rowcliffe, Anthony & Son, Somerdale International, Specialist Cheesemakers Association, Speciality Food Magazine, Tesco, Wookey Hole Cave Aged and Wyke Farms Ltd.