Minger from Tain ‘rubs shoulders with the Gods of British Cheese’
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AN Easter Ross Minger “has maybe finally arrived” with a gold medal accolade that sees it “rub shoulders with the Gods of British Cheese”.
Highland Fine Cheeses in Tain has landed the Best Scottish Cheese trophy at the British Cheese Awards for the second year in a row.
This time its Minger, which is described as “an oozy and pungent cheese with an orange annatto washed rind and creamy paste, hinting at flavours of the farmyard”.
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The 28th British Cheese Awards assessed over 600 entries from across the UK and Ireland, before welcoming cheese lovers into the judging arena throughout the new Bath & West Food & Drink Festival.
All trophies were presented during the British Cheese Awards Dinner, with Snowdrop by Cote Hill in Lincolnshire taking the Supreme Champion trophy and Cashel Blue from Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers named Reserve Champion, as well as Best Irish Cheese. Best English Cheese went to Tor from White Lake Cheese and Best Welsh Cheese was awarded to Gafr Las from Bryngaer Goats.
Rory Stone of Highland Fine Cheeses said: “It’s completely wonderful to be recognised as Best Scottish Cheese, but more than anything a Gold medal in the washed rind category where we rub shoulders with the Gods of British Cheese hints that we are no longer merely pushing the parameters of mediocrity, maybe, finally, we’ve arrived!”
Organised by The Royal Bath & West Society, the British Cheese Awards saw a 63-strong judging panel made up of cheesemakers, cheesemongers, cheese experts, buyers and commentators assessing entries in their individual classes during the morning session, awarding Bronze, Silver and Gold accolades.
During the second round, all Gold award winners from each category were judged alongside one another to identify the category winners, before all category winners were judged in the final round to find this year’s Supreme Champion and Reserve Champion.
Hosted for the first time by the new Bath & West Food & Drink Festival, the British Cheese Awards invited festival visitors to sample some of this year’s entries over the course of the weekend and to cast their votes in the People’s Choice Award.
