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HELP KEEP THE UK’S CHEESE HISTORY ALIVE

PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW MONTGOMERY, ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES. RESTAURANT STATS: ACCOR HOTELS

Britain’s cheesemaking traditions are set to be safely preserved for posterity, thanks to cheese education stalwart the Academy of Cheese. The not-for-profit body has been given £15,000 by the Frank Parkinson Agricultural Trust to complete a record-keeping project, and it’s inviting cheesemakers, farming families and food enthusiasts to help. “The UK has an incredibly rich, diverse and fascinating dairy history that deserves to be preserved for future generations,” says Charlie Turnbull, director of the academy. “Territorial cheese recipes have been handed down through farming dynasties – in some cases for centuries – but there is a risk of these being lost forever.”

Focusing on the production of 10 classic British cheeses, the research will be used to create an online archive of historic photos, documents and audiovisual files of the people, places and equipment that have played a part in the development of the UK’s cheese culture over the decades. Students on the academy’s Master of Cheese course will study the archive of material as part of their accreditation. The project will begin with cheshire cheese, interviewing people from that county with knowledge of the crumbly classic. If you or someone you know would like to contribute, email charlie.turnbull@academyofcheese.org or visit facebook.com/groups/ cheshirecheese or academyofcheese.org/heritage/cheshire

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1819 Albert Saxe-Coburg- Gotha was born on 26 August. The cake at his wedding to Queen Victoria in 1840 weighed 135kg and measured almost three metres across.