Food trade given greater emphasis as Frome Show expands cheese competition
There's to be an even greater emphasis on food trade relations than ever before at this year's Frome Show.
Since its inception in 1851, the show has been a major showcase for cheeses of all kinds and is now one of the top events of its kind in the country.
Show organisers are now building on the success created last year with a new pavilion – sponsored this year by North Down Dairy - on a more prominent site on the West Woodlands Showground on the outskirts of the Somerset market town last year helped attract a record 500 entries from both major manufacturers and farmhouse based artisan cheesemakers.
They have once again invited cheese specialists from a number of major retailers to join the judging team and have increased the number of classes open to them. There are now ten – six for cheddar and four for speciality cheeses – with two classes each for butter and yogurt. Samples will be bought at random from stores local to Frome by an independent organisation.
In addition, there's a competition for the Householder's Choice cheese which will be judged by a local celebrity and one to find the Children's Choice, selected by winners in a competition organised by local radio 3TR FM.
But it's not just the location of the Cheese Pavilion and the format of the competition that is changing, as Frome Show Cheese Section chairman, Wyke Farms' Nigel Pooley pointed out.
"The show is open to the public on Saturday, September 13th, 2008, but the staging of the cheeses for judging is scheduled for the Thursday afternoon, with the judging of the more than 60 classes now taking place on Friday morning," he said.
"Trophies and prizes will then be presented after a lunch, sponsored by Dairy Crest, in the showground's Members' Pavilion with an after lunch speech by John Pearson, who was Marks and Spencer's cheese specialist for many years. During the afternoon the trade stands in the Cheese Pavilion will be manned giving you the chance to talk to some of the leading suppliers in the industry.
"However," he added, "it's not all hard work. We're organising a friendly golf tournament at Frome's Orchardleigh Golf Course for Thursday morning – and then of course there's the show itself on Saturday which is well worth staying on for."
Copies of the Cargill-sponsored show schedule and information about booking place in the golf tournament and at the presentation lunch are available from Frome Show Secretary Brenda Scott, Frome Show Office, 01373 463600. Full details are available from the show's website, fromecheeseshow.co.uk.
