Do you like a bit of cheddar on toast or do you prefer some fine and blue Stilton with grapes and some water biscuits? Whether you like mild and firm, soft and strong, flavoured or veiny, crumbly and very mouldy.
We all like some kind of cheese, unless you are vegan of course (and even then there are vegan cheeses out there, if you look hard enough for them you will find them) If cheese is your thing though, there is bound to be something you will love if you attend one of these amazing cheese-related food festivals taking place up and down the UK.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling, Cooper’s Hill, Gloucester
Okay, so first on our list is not a cheese festival in the traditional sense of the phrase. Unless of course, your traditional understanding of the phrase involves a flurry of crazy locals chasing a rolling rolling 4 Kg cheese wheel down an incredibly steep hill. If it does, this is most definitely a traditional cheese festival.
As responsible bloggers we should point out that this is not actually an official event as the cheese maker behind it, Diana Smart has been advised that any injuries caused during the event to participants in the said cheese rolling would make her liable to pay legal damages if she considered herself to be the event organiser.
It should be pointed out that many of the cheese rollers are doing it for charity and raising a fair few pretty pennies in the process.
The Cheese and Chilli Festival, War Memorial Park, Basingstoke, Hampshire
Do you enjoy the thrilling combination for the taste buds of chilli and cheese? If so, then you should consider taking a trip to Basingstoke between 23rd and 24th of June for the Cheese and Chilli Festival.
This is the only festival of its kind that celebrates the combination of cheese and chilli. The event is put on by 33rd Management Ltd, who established the event in 2014.
The event has grown in popularity and just in sheer size and scope and this year’s event looks set to be the biggest and best yet. As this is an event for the whole family, not jut the people who enjoy the taste of fire in their mouth and the feeling of heat in their belly, there are Punch and Judy shows and lots of other forms of entertainment.
As is standard for most British summer festivals expect a lot of excellent live music and one of the biggest events of the whole weekend is the chilli sauce competition where hopefuls best sauces are put before the attendees.
With beer and cider on tap and lots of interesting things to do in and around the lush War Memorial Park in Basingstoke, this is one of the major highlights of the food festival calendar.
Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival, Sturminster Newton, Dorset
Over two days in Sturminster Newton in Dorset, there will be a great festival celebrating all things cheesy. Around 70 cheese and food stalls, along with 80 others for crafts and a real ale tent that will have over 25 beers. There will also be a wine bar, local cider, live music and plenty of fun for all the family.
It wouldn’t be a cheese festival without some cookery demonstrations, including some excellent cheese making tutorials from expert producers on both a national and local level.
London Cheese Project, Geffrye Museum, London
The London Cheese Project is back again towards the end of May this year at the Geffrye Museum in London for a celebration of real, artisan cheese. As well as cheese makers and cheesemongers there will also be a selection of street food trader stalls.
A definite highlight, if you are fan of pizza, is the live demonstration of mozzarella making, as well as plenty of interesting takes on the savoury delight that is cheese.
Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival, secret location, Glasgow
Coming to Glasgow in November is the Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival. This is a must-attend celebration of all things artisan and the producers and suppliers who put in all the hard work to provide us with the tasty treats and food we all love.
A day of indulgence involving tasting samples, talks about pairing different foods and drinks, trading stands and a lot of fun from various forms of entertainment and live music. There is even face painting for all the kids…and the older kids too (looking at you mums and dads).
There are a large array of different producers and sellers of cheese up and down the country, and the cheese festivals above (as well as many others we don’t have space to highlight) are the perfect events to celebrate the process of turning milk into something gloriously decadent and savoury.
You can find out more about the many great cheese festivals taking place in the UK right here.