“The Gong Show”

Town Crier with

Justin Tunstall

Retail consultant, shares with us his cheese selling experience

• “Sticky fingers”
• “Everyone’s a winner”
• “Myths and legends of Turophilia”
• “When ‘cheese’ is not cheese”
• “Don’t disrespect the Cheddar”

Pass me my white coat and my cheese iron: let’s go cheese judging!

Our society places high value on the opinions of others, particularly when they come from ‘experts’. Shoppers peer into our cheese cabinet and ask which cheese won ‘the award’. I respond that most of the cheeses I stock will have won an award at some point, be it bronze, silver, gold, Super Gold, best in category or (drum roll) Supreme Champion. Some bodies give just one bronze, silver and gold award in each category (akin to the Olympics), while others may award no Bronze, Silver or Gold medals - or as many as the judges believe merit them.

But what does an award really mean? Different awards have different judging systems - some judge within categories to identify, for example, the best Double Gloucesters entered against fixed expectations of what that cheese should be like. Others judge all cheeses against each other to spot those that deliver a real ‘wow’ factor. The first system requires that there are definitions of the ideal for a variety of cheese, although with broader categories such as “Modern British Goat”, one is again looking for the outstanding rather than the fully compliant. In that case, we’re not comparing items as different as apples and oranges, but we’re not down to the precision of best Granny Smith.

I find that the most enjoyable and productive judging teams combine people with cheese knowledge and those with a great palette - often chefs and food writers. Cheesemakers spend a lot of money entering awards and it’s important that they get valuable feedback if they don’t bag a gong. Constructive observations can help a dairy understand why their cheese isn’t on the winners’ table - ‘over salted’, ‘exceptionally bitter’ or ‘inconsistent paste’ will help them move forward as cheesemakers; ‘inedible’ will not! As I was told by the Chief Judge the first time I judged: these decisions can seriously impact the entrants’ businesses. Someone who has been slogging away producing good cheese for a few years can be massively motivated by a win - and get into new retail areas - boosting turnover and self-esteem in equal measure. On the flip side, another year without peer recognition could prompt a struggling business to throw in the towel.

Given the importance that the results can have, I’m frequently shocked by the selection of cheeses entered by some producers. We see whole aged cheeses that haven’t had a cheese iron in them, and thus are presumed to be the same as the rest of a batch. We get cheeses that have clearly not been packed or chilled adequately for their journey. Sometimes it feels as though the selection of the cheese for the competition has been left to the office junior, rather than the cheese grader.

I am always concerned that the cheese in my cabinet delivers on the expectation imposed by the award it received. I’m well aware that it was a particular sample, on a particular day, with a small number of judges, that scooped the award - but all is for naught if the cheese I have for sale isn’t up to snuff. We’re not afraid to reject cheeses that fall below the mark; infrequently, I’m glad to say. Artisan cheeses that win big awards time and again, such as Barkham Blue, Tunworth and Rachel, are consistently good - although sizes may vary, they seem to always deliver on the promise conferred by the Supreme Champion accolade.

Awards don’t help unless we talk about them: we always make a story of the cheeses that we already stock when they win - and try to source any big winners that we haven’t had. Signs and displays help make an event of the results after the bigger competitions and help us generate interest - and sales.

I LOVE judging at cheese competitions, but still need to remind myself not to dull my tastebuds with a hot and spicy curry the night before!