UK cheese roll race sends competitors hurtling
Last weekend, competitors from across the globe competed in Gloucestershire, England's annual cheese roll race down Cooper’s Hill.
A centuries-old tradition with largely unknown origins, the race is a rite of passage for audacious adventurers and diehard cheese lovers alike. If you aren’t willing to throw yourself down a 1:2 gradient hill (an incline whose rise in elevation is equal to half the horizontal distance covered) for an 8 pound wheel of double gloucester, are you really living?
The day consists of scheduled men’s, women’s, and kids’ downhill and uphill races and draws thousands of spectators. (The number of races by demographic depends on the number of participants who wish to compete.)
No longer an official competition (cancelled onward from 2010 for crowd size concerns), the event runs unofficially every May with the help of police-monitored road closures and volunteer rugby players stationed at the bottom of the hill to “catch” tumbling racers.
This year, the downhill winners included two-time champion Tom Kopke, first-time racer Ava Sender Logan, Gloucester local Luke Preece, and New Zealand native Byron Smith.
The cheese wheels in question have been provided by Rod and Diana Smart of Smart family farm for the past 25 years. An award-winning outfit producing traditional, handmade gloucester cheese, Smart’s is one of only four of its kind in the world.
For those wanting a taste of this historic cheese without the peril of a (maybe victorious) downhill tumble, Smart’s special Gloucester can be ordered and shipped directly from the farm or purchased at a local outlet.
Is it just us, or has all this talk of cheese roll racing made us hungry for...cheese? Head on over to Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s online store for your own slice of tradition.
And if you decide to hold an impromptu cheese chase, keep in mind record-setting 23-time cheese roll winner Chris Anderson’s remark: "If you’re not gonna commit, there’s no point in even doing it.”
Count us in.
Today's Featured Cheese: Island Havarti with Dill
The addition of real dill fronds among our Island Havarti’s little holes is a classic complement to the cheese’s soft tang and the serious Unami qualities it gathers from our farm’s milk. It really goes well with just about anything on a cheese board, melted, or in cooking. Medium wines like Pinot Grigio or Merlot, or European style beers are favorites with this cheese. Try it with pickled vegetables and herring, smoked salmon, and other Scandinavian delicacies.
American Cheese Month draws to a close
American Cheese Month isn’t just about creamy Kraft singles or perfectly meltable Velveeta cheese dip (although, hello!, who doesn’t associate yellow packaged squares with childhood bliss?). It’s a celebration of artisan U.S.-based cheesemakers and their one-of-a-kind creations across the continent.
According to the American Cheese Education Foundation (ACEF), American Cheese Month is “a grassroots celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers, and chefs who bring them to your table.”
Throughout the month the ACEF, in partnership with willing American cheese champions everywhere, aims to recognize the quality and diversity of American-made cheeses; support local foods, farms, and cheeses; celebrate traditional cheesemaking and sustainable production methods; and raise awareness about American cheese as a whole, emphasizing the value of supporting those who occupy the industry.
As May draws to a close (and designated American cheese appreciation with it), here are some ways you can celebrate artisan products and support your local American cheesemakers:
Host an “American cheese” charcuterie night. Ask guests to bring their favorite American-made cheese variation and a printout that informs others about the creamery it comes from.
Research creameries in your area and schedule a visit (if they allow it). Pack your camera and an appetite!
Find and purchase made-in-North America cheese at the grocery store. American Cheese Month is officially for all of North America. Look for artisan cheeses that are made in whichever country you call home.
Share about the mission of ACEF and American Cheese Month with a friend (or the world). Feeling particularly zealous about the cause? Bring it up during your next social outing or at the dinner table, or post about it on social media.
Visit Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s online store and Farm & History page to learn more about the Guernsey milk artisan cheese you know and love.
Hey, we couldn’t not include a self-shout-out in an article about American-made cheese!
Moral of the story: American Cheese Month is an ode to all things craft, farm, family, and good food. Here’s to you and yours.
Quiz time! Geography edition.
St. Saviour is named for a small parish on the Isle of ___________.
Guernsey
Sark
Jersey
Great Britain
Scroll past the image to find the answer!
If you guessed A.) Guernsey, you’d be right!
Kentucky Derby hat features St. Saviour cheese
What’s the first thing you think of when you pick up a block of cheese?
Charcuterie! Sandwich! Grapes! Wine! Hat adornment! — Wait, what?
Unless you’re one of a growing collection of cheese sculptor artists or lucky enough to be schooled in the craft of cheesemaking, odds are your relationship with cheese is one solely of taste and texture. But it turns out there’s yet another purpose for fromage, and we’re totally on board.
Milliner Christine A. Moore, in partnership with Dairy Famers of Wisconsin, released a collection of iconic Kentucky Derby hats this April. Her muse? Award-winning Wisconsin cheeses.
The aptly named Rinds and Roses collection includes nine unique designs featuring: Hoard’s Dairyman St. Saviour (woo, woo!), Marieke® Gouda Foenegreek, Roth Canela, Roelli Cheese Haus Red Rock, Sartori® Merlot BellaVitano®, and Landmark Creamery Herbes de Provence Fontina.
The hats mimic clubhouse-worthy cheese boards: They’re speckled with placebo wedges, rinds, fruit, and flowers. Exclusively made by Moore for Wisconsin Cheese, these hats capture both the essence of the Kentucky Derby and of artisan cheesemakers: that of excellence, originality, and style.
The St. Saviour in Kentucky Oaks hat description reads: “Just as the Kentucky Oaks radiates elegance, so too does this fuchsia and pink hat, inspired by St. Saviour’s refined indulgence. Designed for those who appreciate luxury and craftsmanship, it brings a bold yet graceful presence to any occasion.”
The Kentucky Oaks race precedes the Kentucky Derby by two days and is, alongside the Derby, the oldest continuously contested sporting event in American history. The Oaks is a 1 1/8 mile race for three-year-old thoroughbreds; the Derby, famous for being the “most exciting two minutes in sports” is a 1 ¼ mile race, also for three-year-old filly thoroughbreds.
NHL and NBA playoffs, who? I want to know if Luxor Café and Journalism will maintain their top twenty spots for the May 3rd race. (Those are horse names, by the way, not me narrating my morning gameplan.)
Part of the Kentucky Derby’s appeal is its cultural singularity — more narrowly: its dress code. Attendees’ attires are nearly as intriguing as the equines themselves. (Did we mention these animals are the best of the best?) Show up at Churchill Downs day-of in jeans and a hoodie and you might as well plead lost tourist. (This isn’t a joke — the Derby specifically prohibits denim to be worn anywhere but the infield.)
Its no wonder, then, that milliners such as Moore turn to top-tier artisan foods for inspiration. Feathers are nice, but what’s old is old. Those who opt for a headdress of such exclusive association as Wisconsin cheese are the real, shall we say, cheeseheads. Talk about a conversation starter.
Whether you’re watching from reserved seating, the infield (denim or death), at home, or not at all, be sure to track down your own sample of St. Saviour to mark the occasion. Wear it or don’t — the cheese is just as Guernsey-milk-good either way.
Sark takes home a gold medal
Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s Sark cheese won first place at the U.S. Champion Cheese Contest (USCCC) held March 4-6 in Green Bay, Wis.
As the nation’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition, the USCCC honors the best of entries from within a variety of categories, from mild cheddar to mixed milk cheeses and everything in between.
Sark, named for the island of Sark off the coast of Guernsey Island in the English channel, is a triple cream butterkäse cheese. It won “Best in Class” for semi-soft cheeses.
Caption for photos: Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery director Ricardo Gutierrez accepts the award for “Best in Class” for semi-soft cheeses.
Read more about the competition and Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s part in it here.
Quiz time! Magazine history edition.
Hoard’s Dairyman, the national dairy farm magazine, originated from the pages of the __________.
(Hint: It’s a newspaper from Jefferson County, WI.)
(Scroll past the image to find the answer.)
Hoard’s Dairyman farm
Answer: The Jefferson County Daily Union. https://hoards.com/flex-288-About-Hoards-Dairyman.html
Sark sparks gold!
Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s Sark Butterkase cheese won its category for semi-soft cheeses at the United States Championship Cheese Contest.
This month, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association hosted their 22nd United States Championship Cheese Contest (USCCC) in Green Bay, Wis.
As the nation’s premier technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition, the USCCC honors the best of entries from within a variety of categories, from mild cheddar to mixed milk cheeses and everything in between.
This year, there were 2,250 entries from 31 states. Each cheese began the competition with 100 points and was evaluated by expert judges based on its flavor, body, texture, color, finish, packaging, and other relevant attributes. Any defects resulted in a docking of points.
Based on these criteria, deserving cheeses in each class received a gold, silver, or bronze award.
Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s Sark won “Best in Class” (Gold) for semi-soft cheeses, with 99.25 points.
Made in Monticello, Wis., by cheesemaker Bruce Workman, this Butterkase cheese is named for the isle of Sark, a self-governing, no-cars-on-the-road island that lies in the English Channel just off the coast of Guernsey island — where Guernsey cows like those of the Hoard’s Dairyman Farm herd originated.
Dubbed “the jewel of the Channel Islands,” the isle of Sark offers views as sublime as its honorary cheese’s decadent taste and texture. (Charcuterie and a red eye to go, please?)
In the USCCC’s Havarti category, Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery’s Island Havarti snagged spot number 5 out of 17 with a score of 99.5.
Taking home the champion trophies in first, second, and third place were Arethusa Farm Dairy, The Farm at Doe Run, and Lack Country Dairy/Shuman Cheese, respectively.
The United States Championship Cheese Contest has run biennially since 1981 and will return in 2027 for more cheese-tastic contests, awards, and celebrations.
Art that’s edible
Cheese sculptures, and their creators, are cut differently.
Sarah Nep. Source: https://cheesecarver.com
Cheese is full of possibilities.
Sandwiches, salads, tacos, coffee, platters — there’s nothing curd can’t make better.
But what if cheese also served a non-edible purpose? Such as…being a piece of art?
Surprise! It already does.
The art of cheese carving goes beyond cutting a clever display for a soon-to-be devoured centerpiece. For some, it’s a genuine hobby and — even more astonishing — a career.
Take Sarah Kaufmann, “The Cheese Lady,” a (fittingly) Wisconsin native. Kaufmann began designing and carving uniquely thematic cheese sculpture designs in 1981 and went full-time with the craft in 1996. That’s 20-plus years of around-the-clock cheese artistry. Kaufmann’s for-hire services include designing and carving a sculpture and then shipping it, and sculpting designs live as part of in-store or event-related entertainment.
Kaufmann holds two Guinness World Records for largest cheese carving and travels the country to carve for corporate events, county fairs, weddings, private parties, and more.
Sarah Nep, a fine artist from Walnut Creek, California, is a professional cheese carver as well. Her projects are smaller in scope than Kaufmann’s, but they’re no less detailed. Nep stumbled upon the art form largely by accident. Her very first piece began as a favor to her husband, who volunteered her to sculpt a cow for the California Cheese and Butter Show. Already well-accustomed to the nuances of fine sculpts and molds, Nep did a spectacular job, and her (then) side-gig carving commissions began.
Nep has carved for trade shows, anniversaries, wine tastings, grand openings, and more. Her services include live carving, shipping a completed sculpture, and compiling specialty cheese platters.
Finally (but certainly not comprehensively), Pennsylvania-based food sculpture artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton work as a team to create pieces out of cheese, butter, chocolate, or a mixture of foods. They have been commissioned to carve for state fairs, public relations events, TV shows, and more.
In their brief autobiography, Victor and Pelton write: “Food sculptures are opportunities to teach the public not only about food and where it comes from but also to demonstrate and educate people about the process of art, its role in society, the messaging it can convey.”
Both graduates from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Victor and Pelton put recyclability at the top of their food sculpture service promotion.
“Food, like other organic waste products, can be put into an anaerobic digester and turned into electricity… It’s comforting to know the food material we use for sculpting will be made into energy [after we donate it].”
Kaufmann, Nep, Victor, and Pelton are far from alone in their cheese carving occupation. Matthew Van Vorst, Nancy Baker, The Courtyard Dairy, Alberto Tomasi are just a handful of others among a growing cohort of cheese carvers. Some colleges even offer courses in it. Most professionals concede that anyone with the right tools can pick up the hobby, but isn’t there, I don’t know, just a bit of artistic skill involved?
Interested in trying out a little bit ‘o sculpting? Hungry for cheese after all this chitter chatter about it? Head over to www.hoardscreamery.com to order your favorite Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery cheese variation. (Carve, eat, or both, we won’t tell.) s, and their creators, are cut differently.