Featuring masterclasses, virtual farm tours and tutored tastings, the line-up for the first-ever British Cheese Weekender has been announced!
In an effort to support small cheesemakers during the COVID-19 lockdown (an industry that has been hit particularly hard), the festival will take place over the early May bank holiday with a line up promising something for everyone, from kids to fully-fledged curd nerds.
Ahead of the festival, we’re all being encouraged to stock up on our favourite artisan cheese to ensure a full sensory experience. After all, how much fun can be had without a plate of the good stuff in front of you?
The line-up kicks off with a kids’ cheese tasting session presented by Sam Wilkin (AKA Cellarman Sam), with other highlights including farm tours at Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk and former World Cheese Awards champion, Lynher Dairies in Cornwall, a guided tasting on Instagram Live from Quicke’s in Devon (a brand we adore and have been buying from The Estate Dairy), a behind-the-scenes tour of Neal’s Yard Dairy and a Fondue Night cook-along with The Cheese Bar’s Mathew Carver. YUM!
Looking to brush up on your cheese knowledge? Author and cheesemonger Ned Palmer will give us a History of British Cheese in 30 minutes, deep-diving into pairings, raw milk, sheep’s milk and blue cheese. Saturday night will see a Cheese Question Time with some of the country’s top experts and we’ll be able to put our new-found expertise to the test during Paxton & Whitfield’s Cheese Pub Quiz.
We think you’ll agree, this sounds like just the kind of lockdown weekend we can fully get behind right now. Crackers at the ready!
The British Cheese Weekender will take place from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 May, running from 3pm until 10pm each day. For the full line-up and more information, visit: academyofcheese.org/british-cheese-weekender
