Cheese champions chase crown (From Witney Gazette)

Cheese champions chase crown

8:11pm Thursday 10th July 2008 in Witney

Cheese makers will be sending their finest wares to an Oxfordshire farm today to be judged for a national award.

More than 900 entries have been registered with the organisers of the British Cheese Awards.

Fifty judges from around the world will converge on former Blur guitarist Alex James' farm in Kingham, near Chipping Norton.

Organiser and chief judge Juliet Harbutt, from nearby Churchill, said: "There are 910 cheeses entered for the competition and three of the four cheese producers in Oxfordshire have submitted entries.

"When you have got that many cheeses, the thing of first and foremost importance is that they are of good quality.

"Winners will have to be cheeses that leap off the table and say 'pick me'."

Mr James will be entering two of his cheeses in this year's competition as well as taking part in the judging.

He said: "I'm entering two cheeses that are yet to be released in the new cheeses category. The first is Phoenix - a new rock and roll species of cheese that you set on fire.

"The other is a cheese commissioned by The Spectator to commemorate its 180th anniversary. It's a triple cream cheese called Triple Top.

"The organisational genius is making sure that no cheesemaker ever judges their own cheese."