And Now For Something Completely Cheesy

Remember Blur, the BritPop band turned English alternative rockers in the 1990s? If you do, you may also remember Alex James, the band's bass guitarist. The band hasn't recorded or toured since 2003, but James has been busy elsewhere, writing The Great Escape, a weekly column in the Independent on, of all things, his life as a Cotswold farmer and cheesemaker. (And, before you ask, the earnest looking cheesemaker in our picture is Not Alex James.)

This week, he writes about hosting the British Cheese Awards on his farm last Friday. Apparently 910 different cheese vied for the Best of British title, judged by 60 cheese makers, cooks, gourmets and gourmands. Cheeses with names like Cornish Yarg, Lincolnshire Poacher and, says James, "a highly prized Swiss-style cheese called Desmond …" went after medals.

The judging event - which produced a (pretty long) shortlist of 318 medal winners - was trade only. But the rest of us can partake of a cheesy feast after the grand prize winners are announced in September at the Great British Cheese Festival in Cardiff.

The Festival, September 27 and 28 at Cardiff Castle, billed as Britain's biggest cheese show, will include a market, tastings, cooking demonstrations, master classes and entertainment. Tickets can be booked online through St. David's Hall or by telephoning +44 (0)29 2087 8444.

Visit the Cheese Web to find out more about British Cheeses

_{Stilton cheesemaker: Picture by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images}