Say Cheese!

Well what an absolutely fantastic day!!!!

Spent the day with the United Kingdom Cheese Guild in Wincanton on a Diploma Course, to enable me to begin to understand cheese, from the manufacture either Farm house (Artisan) or Creamery manufactured (factory) to product placement within a counter run. There is so much more to this than you could possibly imagine and it surprised and delighted me, that there are product differentials between your local deli and the multiples and boy can you both taste and make a difference!!

For example, Cheddar accounts for 60% of the UK cheese market and over 95% of the UK population will have this in their homes....but which one? what age is it? Artisan or Creamery? Deli or supermarket? mild, medium, mature or vintage? The questions are numerous and I need to have the "knowledge" when you buy from me, and this is the first step, however, no amount of courses can replace the 40 years our course tutor had - a proper font of all knowledge!! You might want to ask one of the above questions to the sales assistant the next time you're at the cheese counter in you supermarket of choice...do they have the knowledge?

So tasted 36 different cheeses from both styles of manufacture with distinctive taste differences, Cheddar, Cheshire, Wensleydale (hold the Wallace and Gromit jokes!!) Caerphilly, Ossau Iraty, Yarg, Grand Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Stilton, Le Gruyere 5 month and 14 month aged and a must stock line for the Black Pig, Pecorino al Tartufo - stunning, absolutely stunning.... So hard cheese, soft cheeses, Blue cheeses, Washed rind cheese and fresh cheese all tasted. My challenge now, is once the deal is completed is to stock the right cheeses for the customer base and not become self indulgent in what I like, albeit, just the one...call it the owners recommendation...

The Diploma covers the whole nine yards.... manufacture, types, date checking, storage, counter display, labelling, selling skills and customer care. And as there is an awful lot to take in, the continuing support is there supplied by both the UKCG and producers to ensure that The Black Pig has the right product for the customer base, a lot, as I have been advised, is trail and error, but the main thing is the comfort blanket that is provided, on all levels, which I have to note is a relief being a sole trader.

So now to complete the Diploma course book, all 78 pages of text, questions and essays, to ensure that I have the UK Cheese Guild Diploma, prior to opening, or as near as dam it to when the doors open....homework??? no mentioned this!!

And to cap it all, it seems that the Black Pigs strap line of "there is no enjoyment of food without quality" is so very, very true....which, of course, I knew it was, always has been, always will be!