Twenty old friends and new greeted 2018 very tastefully at the British Cheese Centre in the Zurich Viaduct Markthalle.
The tastefulness was of course cheesy, with old friends like Cheddar, Red Leicester and Stilton, alongside Hebridean Blue and Caerphilly. Some new friends were also found for the English champagne now hailing from Kent, not to mention cider and a selection of beers.
The centre’s owner Michael Jones was convinced some ten years ago that there was a market for British cheeses in (of all places) Switzerland, and so it has proved.
Overall the UK produces some 1500 different cheeses, more varieties than any other country. Stinking Bishop (from Gloucestershire) is, we were told, appreciated in royal circles.
Thank you so much, Joanna and Diana, for this most tasteful of New Year’s gatherings.
Andrew Brix