British Cheese Festival attracts 460 varieties - and 12,000 people

Yesterday, Gloucesters both single and double, Leicesters red, Stiltons blue and Lancashires warning “not for the faint hearted” were assembled in Oxfordshire for all to sample at the Great British Cheese Festival.

From across the UK and Ireland, 12,000 people descended upon the county to taste the very best of British and Irish cheese. According to Juliet Harbutt, chairman of the festival, this number is growing every year.

The festival, situated on a field next to Millets Farm Centre, featured 460 different cheeses from four different sources – cow, sheep, goat, and more unusually, buffalo. These cheeses were displayed on 175 different stalls and were complimented by the best of English ciders, perries, beers and wines. Other vendors, selling chutneys, jams, sausages, breads, and curries, filled out the festival.

For ₤8.50 for an adult (concessions ₤6.50), entry to a virtually unlimited sampling of cheeses was gained. For a bit extra, tickets to masterclasses were available, such as Horizontal Cheddar tasting, teaching the secrets of judging a good Cheddar; Washed, Wild and Welsh, offering the best of Wales’ wares; and a cheesemaking demonstration by Delamere Dairies.

One highlight of the day included the public unveiling of the new cheese Little Wallop, fronted by Alex James, former bassist for indie band Blur and cheesemaking entrepreneur. The podcast of this debut will appear on the Guardian website on Wednesday. James told The Culinary Digest that his new cheese will go on sale soon in Harrods and Selfridges Food Hall and will likely retail for around ₤6 a package. Click here to view Little Wallop.

The cheesemakers, particularly proud of their produce, featured prominently. A distinct local feel was apparent: Bath Soft Cheese, run by simply Graham and his wife (no surnames required) distributed flyers of Graham with the true cheese producer, his cow Daisy, one of 160 on his farm of 300 acres. Chris makes the cheese, Matt wraps it and Alex spreads the news. Bath Soft Cheeses produces five creamy cheeses, including a blue and a brie variety.

Selected producers from the festival, most with details of local stockists (click on the links to go to their individual websites):

Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co. (Winner of best British raw milk cheese 2007)
Bath Soft Cheese
Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese
Godsells Cheese

Degustibus bread

Cley pickles (hand-prepared pickles, chutneys, mustards, jams jellies and markets). For more information, email Ann Westrop.