Information on >
Chester Food & Drink Festival 2007

Cheese rolling Cheshire style wins again

Competition Crumbles for Record Fourth Year

After a hardened battle between the big cheeses a team of Cheshire cheese high-rollers narrowly beat rivals Joseph Heler Cheese, who were rolling down the cobbles of Bridge Street, Chester for the first time this year. Cheshire negotiated this year’s new obstacle course of farm-yard animals and kept their cool, their title and the cup to roll their way into the record books to launch the sixth Chester Food and Drink Festival to be held over the Easter weekend.

Hundreds of spectators lined Chester’s ancient Bridge Street Rows to gain a vantage point. Sheriff of Chester Cllr. David Hughes started each race involving teams from Cheshire, Lancashire, Stilton and Joseph Heler’s Cheese of Nantwich, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year of producing traditional cheese.

Cheshire Cheese is, along with the grinning Cheshire Cat, one of the region’s most famous exports and seasoned cheese roller Nick Birchall of The Cheese Shop in Northgate Street led the victorious Cheshire team.

Stephen Wundke, Chairman of the Chester Food and Drink Festival, said:

“The cheese rolling event always launches the annual Chester Food & Drink Festival on a roll. It is fast becoming one of the biggest food festivals in the country especially now we’re running it over the Easter weekend.”

Other members of the winning “Made in Cheshire’ team included Neal Bates, co-owner of Brasserie 10/16, Paul Dickin of Cheshire County Council and Peter Clayton of Larkton Hall Cheese in Malpas.

There was a producer’s market near The Cross with five stalls selling quality local fayre, including Linda’s Superior Soups of Wallasey, Northgate Street’s The Cheese Shop, Joseph Benjamin’s Restaurant and Delicatessan of Northgate Street, Alison’s Homemade of Nantwich and a Cheshire Cheese stall comprising Joseph Heler Cheese, Belton Cheese of Whitchurch and Reese’s Creamery of Malpas. Entertainment was provided by Edam and the Ants bringing their own brand of cheesy tunes to the proceedings.

For more information about other events happening over the Chester Food & Drink Festival please visit www.chesterfoodanddrink.com.

Chester’s Food and Drink Festival is organised on behalf of Chester City Council with support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Visit Chester & Cheshire; the tourism board for Cheshire and Warrington, Cheshire County Council, Made in Cheshire, North West Fine Foods and the Rural Recovery Fund.

Ends 379 words

Background Chester Food and Drink Festival Taste Marquee is planned for April 7th to 9th 2007, Easter Saturday to Easter Monday. The Marquee will contain more than 100 retailers and growers with samples of Cheshire, North Wales, national and international produce, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of Cheshire.

Celebrity chefs already lined up include TV chef extraordinaire & vegetarian expert Simon Rimmer, Robert Kisby newly appointed executive Head Chef at the recently refurbished Cock O Barton near Farndon and Michael Caines, one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs and operational Partner and Director of ABode, the group of boutique hotels he co-founded.

The Food and Drink Fringe Festival will also take place around the City from April 6 to 15, 2007 with special events, restaurants, bars and hotels all helping to make Chester the focus of food and drink within the UK, with theme nights, special family offers and accommodation promotions.

Evening events include a Champagne tasting evening on Saturday April 7. A cocktail and mixology competition, attracting over 100 attendees last year, to be held on Sunday April 8 with competitors from bars across Cheshire. On Monday April 9 plans are for a combination of music designed to stimulate the taste buds and the Gala Dinner and awards ceremony will ensure 250 people sample a gourmet menu sourced from leading producers in the North West. This is likely to be held on Tuesday April 10 2007.

Special events include the farmers market and the ale assize and medieval banquet on Saturday April 14th.

2006 Visitor Survey 16,000 people visited the Taste Marquee and £90,000 was spent there over the three days. - 51 per cent of visitors came from a distance of more than 25 miles, making a total of 8,000 people brought into the City. - 78 per cent of people surveyed said the event was good or excellent. - 87 per cent of people surveyed said they were likely to return. - Nearly 100 producers and exhibitors were on show in the Taste Marquee, bringing their own skills and produce from Cheshire and around the world to be part of the Festival. - There were seminars and competitions in micro brewing, wines, sausages and cheeses and the opportunity to taste local paté, black pudding, bread, cereals, oils, pies, meat, fish, cheeses, chocolates, liqueurs and even a juice bar.

Festival brochures will be available across the City from March. Phone 01244 351609 for more details. For further information on the region go to www.visitchester.com. More general information at www.chesterfoodanddrink.com

CHEESE Notes:

The Competition is a celebration of the fact that Cheshire cheese, arguably one of the oldest cheeses in the world, has seen a huge revival in its popularity in recent years. Market share has climbed steadily over the past 12 months as punters realise that the pale, bland mass-produced cheese, which often carries the Cheshire name, bears very little resemblance to the genuine article.

Cheshire cheese dates back to Roman times and was originally said to be made in a mould shaped like a cat, later made famous as the smiling Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland. When the Romans invaded Britain back in the 54 BC they found a hardy race for whom cheese was their chief diet. It is a recognised fact that the Romans build Chester due to the value they placed on the cheese produced on its salty plains (and to keep the Welsh at bay). Mentioned in the Domesday Book, a favourite in the Elizabethan court and admired and written about by Charles Dickens, Cheshire Cheese continued to flourish and was considered the best in the country. While Romans are no more, the secret of the excellence of Cheshire Cheese remains, and, thanks to the award-winning efforts of producers such as HS Bourne, consumers are rediscovering the wonderful, true taste of Cheshire again.

The term ‘Big Cheese’ derives from a medieval term of envy for those who could afford to buy expensive whole wheels of cheese.

There are only six dairies licensed to make Stilton cheese in the whole world. They are based in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and there are very strict rules to which they must abide to keep the product pure. For example stilton must be made using local milk and can only be made in a cylindrical shape. More information at www.stiltoncheese.com.

There are more than 400 varieties of British cheese available. Approximately £1.5 billion of British cheese is bought annually. Cheshire Cheese is the UK’s largest selling crumbly cheese with sales of around 6,500 tonnes per year, this compares with Stilton’s sales of approximately 53,000 tonnes. Sales of cheese in the UK grew 1-2% during 2002 compared with 2001. However, compared to other EU countries, the UK is among the lowest consumers of cheese: consumption per head in the UK is roughly 55% of the average consumption in the other 14 member countries.

Press Contacts: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mob: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mob: 07884 493370 Tel: 01244 330000 MARKETING PROJECTS Email: info@marketingprojects.co.uk

Image Library