Why our special relationship with cheese goes back 6,000 years
In the years leading up to the cost of living crisis, the question of food – what we eat, why and how we afford it – has become increasingly contentious. From a surge in takeaways over the pandemic to ever more lengthy food bank queues, there’s no getting away from it – our eating habits reflect the society in which we live.
As higher numbers of us are forced to think more about what we eat, or whether we can eat at all, our weekly Feeding Britain series sheds light on the complex ways food affects every one of us. From public health messaging around healthy eating to the history of food poverty in Britain, this series will leave no plate unturned.
This week, cheesemonger to the stars, Joe Bangles, delves into Britain’s unique relationship with cheese and considers what’s next for the industry – as well as what we should be putting on our cheese boards.
The term “Special Relationship” was coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 in his famous Iron Curtain speech, cementing the close Anglo-American military, political and trading alliances that have been evident throughout most of the 20th Century. For me, however, the UK has a much longer and much more special relationship, and that is with cheese.
My relationship with this dairy delectable was reignited during the first lockdown on joining Twitter. My first ever tweet was sent to Lord Alan Sugar, asking “what is your favourite cheese?”. Vintage Cheddar was his reply, and my Twitter account was from then on dedicated to finding out the favourite cheeses of celebrities and people of influence.
Two years and 1,000 replies later, I have collected the cheesy replies from Elon Musk to Elton John, JK Rowling to Pink, Sir Anthony Hopkins to Michelle Obama. This ultimately pointless endeavour lead to me becoming the ambassador for the ICDA (International Cheese & Dairy Awards) which is the largest cheese & dairy award in the world, celebrating its 125th year in 2022. It is this position which has allowed me…
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