25/9/2009

Wales plays host this weekend (September 26/27) to the UK’s premier cheese event, the Great British Cheese Festival.
For the second year running the venue will be the grounds of the 2,000 year-old Cardiff Castle, which wowed exhibitors and visitors alike at last year’s Welsh Assembly Government supported Festival.

Over 7,000 cheese lovers from the UK and beyond travelled to Cardiff for the annual cheese fest where they had the chance to sample more than 450 British and Irish cheeses, along with Welsh food and drink in the Taste of Wales Market.

Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones said: “I am delighted The Great British Cheese Festival is returning to Cardiff. Last year’s Festival was a resounding success, and put Wales and Welsh cheese-making firmly in the spotlight.

“Earlier this year I launched the Food Tourism Plan which is all about improving perceptions of Wales as a destination where locally sourced, high quality and distinctive food is widely available . Events such as the Great British Cheese festival are key to helping us achieve this aim. "

“2008 was one of the best festivals we’ve had. Cardiff Castle has a real wow factor as a venue, and there was a terrific atmosphere all weekend,� said Juliet Harbutt, the First Lady of Cheese, and the event’s founder and an advisor on this year’s festival.

“Cardiff Council has really excelled in staging the event, and exhibitors and cheese lovers are very excited about returning to the city this year.�

The Festival kicks off British Cheese Week (September 26 to October 4) and on the eve of the Festival the nearby National Museum of Wales will host the British Cheese Awards.

The weekend features some 21 master classes and demonstrations looking at a range of topics such as the diversity of British cheese, matching cheese with wines, beers, ciders and perry, and what it takes to make an award-winning cheese.

There will be a master class on blue cheese led by Steve Peace of the True Taste Award-winning Carmarthenshire Cheese Company which at last year’s British Cheese Awards scooped the Best Welsh Cheese title and the Dougal Campbell trophy. While cheese expert David Edwards will be demonstrating the delights of Welsh mould ripened cheese.

New for this year is the chance for visitors to enter the Hall of Champions and create their own champion cheeseboard. There will be a variety of activities including cheesy fun and games, such as Cheese Skittles and Cheese Tossing on the castle green, with challengers out to beat the current record of 64’ 4�.

What’s more the event is now well and truly on the social calendar, after recognition by Debrett’s, the “authority on all matters of etiquette, taste and achievement�, in their new online social season guide; joining the likes of Wimbledon and Ascot.

The Festival has also been recognized as one of the world’s top 300 unmissable events in a book to be published in October by What’s On When events specialists and Frommer’s, the internationally respected tourism publisher.