International Cheese Awards
| International Cheese Awards | |
|---|---|
 2012 ICA logo | |
| Genre | Food festival |
| Begins | Tuesday prior to last Wednesday in July |
| Ends | Last Wednesday in July |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Dorfold Park, Nantwich, England |
| Inaugurated | 1897 |
| Attendance | ~40,000 |
| Website | |
| www.internationalcheeseawards.co.uk | |
The International Cheese Awards is a cheese show and competition held each year at Dorfold Park near Nantwich, England. It represents the most important cheese events in the UK and one of the most important events on the global level.[1] Held since 1897, the show continues to grow year-on-year, and attracts over 3,700 competitive entries from around the world in 260 categories.[2]
The ICA is a two-day event. Day one is the judging and trade day, attended primarily by industry participants and press, while day two is scheduled to coincide with the Nantwich and South Cheshire Agricultural Show, and attracts about 40,000 visitors to sample the wares and hear the announcements of the winners.[3]
The International Cheese Awards is an activity of the Nantwich Agricultural Society, a UK registered charity.[4]
Show features
As well as having the chance to sample and purchase more than 3,900 cheeses in the Cheese Pavilion, visitors to the show are treated to various attractions throughout the day including cheese making demonstrations, trophy presentations and live cookery demonstrations by top celebrity chefs.
Celebrities to the show over the years have included Anthony Worrall Thompson, Lesley Waters, Darren Gough, and most recently Dhruv Baker (MasterChef winner 2010), Alex James (former member of Blur, now cheesemaker), Sean Wilson (ex-Coronation Street now cheesemaker), Liz McClarnon (Atomic Kitten and Celebrity MasterChef winner 2008), James Martin and Gino D’Acampo.
History
The original cheese show was founded in 1897 when the Cheshire Agricultural Society, who had been holding shows for some years at different venues in the county, split the county into four shows in their own right, one of which was Nantwich & Northwich, and in 1903 the show was held under its own auspices and with no link to the Cheshire Agricultural Society.
The Nantwich Dairy Shows continued to be staged each year, and it is recorded that the Dairy Show of 1908 was held in the Market Hall on 28 & 29 October.
The Dairy and Horticultural Shows continued to be held annually, however, the two World Wars overshadowed such events, and there is little in detail of them to be found during this period. The show continued to be held intermittently until, in 1946, the show found a permanent home at Dorfold Park, where it has been held annually since, apart for break in years due to outbreaks of Foot & Mouth disease.
The Nantwich Cheese Show celebrated its centenary in 1997 with an appearance by the Royal Household Cavalry.
In 2009 the Nantwich Cheese Show was re-branded to the International Cheese Awards.
Committee and charity
The International Cheese Awards is organised and run by a committee of volunteers contributing expertise from the dairy and cheese industries as well as event management, sponsorship, PR and Marketing industries.
- Show Chairman is Richard Paul of Bradbury & Son
- Show secretaries are Adrian Lawrence and George Lawrence MBE
References
- ↑ "Agasur, galardonada con la medalla de Bronce en los International Cheese Awards" [Agasur, bronze medal winner at the International Cheese Awards]. La Leche:el portal de referencia para la sector lácteo. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ↑ "Record Entries to International Cheese Awards 2011" (Press release). International Cheese Awards. 5 August 2011.
- ↑ "About the awards". International Cheese Awards.
- ↑ "507131 - Nantwich Agricultural Society Limited". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
External links
Coordinates: 53°04′08″N 2°32′32″W / 53.0688°N 2.5421°W