The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #166317   Message #4111390
Posted By: Steve Shaw
25-Jun-21 - 06:12 PM
Thread Name: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
Some names are fiercely protected by law this end, Maggie. Champagne must come only from a tightly-designated area of northern France. You can make your wine in exactly the same way and with exactly the same grapes, etc., but you can't call it champagne if it isn't from that region. I had a massive ding-dong with a chap on Chiff and Fipple many moons ago who thought it was hunkydory to call Californian fizz "Champagne." Well not in my book it isn't. Other restricted names that I can think of are Melton Mowbray pork pies, Stilton cheese and Westcountry Farmhouse cheddar. Anyone on earth can call their hard white cheese "cheddar," but, by the same token, we can call our cheeses "Brie" and "Camembert" even when we make them in England. In fact, my favourite Camembert is made in Cricket St Thomas in Somerset, and the best Brie I've ever had is from Sharpham's in Devon. But I won't buy any cheese calling itself cheddar unless it's "Westcountry farmhouse cheddar" on the label. I've tried 'em all and they are all good, none of that rubbery factory supermarket junk...