0:00:02 > 0:00:03Across the country,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07thousands of farming families work tirelessly around the clock.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Stop arguing, girls!
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Give over.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14WHISTLE BLOWS
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But there's one day each year...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20..where they get to leave the daily routine behind.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Right, here we come, Dorset.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24These are show days...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'A very, very warm welcome to Melplash Show.'
0:00:27 > 0:00:29..when they come together as a community...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..to showcase the fruits of their labour...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I just love showing my girls off.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..and try to win prizes for their breed champions...
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Smashed it.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43..and award-winning produce.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45That's really nice cheese, that.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It was very good, darling.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51There will be highs...
0:00:51 > 0:00:54That's what we want to see - red. Red is the best.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55..and lows...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57She's not happy enough to go.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03..for the dedicated farmers who give everything to walk away a champion.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Fingers crossed!
0:01:13 > 0:01:18The global cheese market is worth an astounding £80 billion a year.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Time for milking.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24British dairy farmers are determined
0:01:24 > 0:01:27to see some of that staggering stockpile.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Today we're meeting the Cheddar-making Clothier family...
0:01:34 > 0:01:38..and goat's cheese guru Roger Longman, who are all from Somerset.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Look at that - nice and clean. Lovely. One more?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47They're both sending their produce to one of the oldest cheese shows
0:01:47 > 0:01:48in the country.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52One dimensional and it dies.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57This is a major shop window for their wares,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01and success here can lead to international acclaim.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13This is Somerset, the birthplace of Cheddar.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Its rolling hills and lush pastures have been home
0:02:16 > 0:02:18to brothers Richard and Tom Clothier
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and their cheesemaking family for generations.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30We've been spuddling around together since we were about two or three.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Whether you'd call it work early on was...
0:02:33 > 0:02:34another thing, wasn't it?
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'You know, working with family is actually good fun
0:02:37 > 0:02:38'and we know each other really well.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Got his younger brother to look after him!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45He might not always agree with that!
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Come on, girls.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54It's not just the brothers that run the family's 1,500-acre farm...
0:02:54 > 0:02:55Come on!
0:02:55 > 0:02:57..as their cousin, Roger,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00takes care of the thousand-strong herd of dairy cows.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03I was born on the farm.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08We did do all the roles when we were kids but I did like working the land
0:03:08 > 0:03:12and tending the cows, and that's where I've stuck now.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15One of my favourite things about the farm
0:03:15 > 0:03:17is when I wake up in the morning.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20I can come out the door and I've got the green fields,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22the cattle, the crops and the fresh air.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Sometimes during the winter months, it's very hard,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but the job has to be done and we're used to that.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34We're used to hard work so we take it in our stride.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39That family philosophy has meant that they're all used to taking care of each other.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41I'm not sure who's the responsible one, really!
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- It's more like us looking after Dad, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Their father, John, handed the reins of the farm
0:03:48 > 0:03:51over to his sons and nephews in 2010
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and is now, at the age of 73, semi-retired.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Well, I'm very proud that they wanted to put up with me
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and follow what myself and my brother and my mother
0:04:05 > 0:04:07and father and grandfather
0:04:07 > 0:04:11and the rest of it have done, so really proud of that.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16The family have been making cheese and dairy farming for hundreds of years,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20so cheesemaking and dairy farming went hand-in-hand.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23But the foundations for the family's success
0:04:23 > 0:04:26is down to one very special lady.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31My grandmother started making cheese to her family recipe and the recipe
0:04:31 > 0:04:34was handed down from mother to daughter through the generations,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37cos the ladies always made the cheese.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41However, their Granny Ivy did something no-one had done before.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46My grandmother was the first one to write the recipe down,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48in the early 1900s,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and we've put that recipe in a safe
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and keep it under lock and key, cos it's very important.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55You all right, Merv?
0:04:59 > 0:05:03As custodians of Granny Ivy's secret formula...
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Good stuff.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08..it falls on Tom and Richard to deliver a cheese the family can be proud of.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09Yeah, very good.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I'm the third generation of cheesemakers.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It's what we do, and I still remain passionate about it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22From humble beginnings, the farm has now grown into
0:05:22 > 0:05:27a business that makes on average 14,000 tonnes of cheese every year.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33It's funny cos cheesemaking is quite a simple process in many ways,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36but our predecessors used to call it the black art because you're
0:05:36 > 0:05:39challenged by nature and the changing of seasons.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41And that's what makes a really good cheesemaker -
0:05:41 > 0:05:45someone who can follow the recipe despite all of those things
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and still make a really good cheese.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52I love what I do. I love cheese.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54If someone criticises my cheese,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57it's like them criticising my children, you know?
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Just under five miles away, outside the village of Pylle,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11a somewhat smaller, but equally ambitious, cheesemaker
0:06:11 > 0:06:15is taking advantage of the lush Somerset countryside.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Only he's not milking cows.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20Come on, up you come!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Goat's cheesemaker Roger Longman
0:06:24 > 0:06:29took over his family's 300-acre dairy farm when his parents retired.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I grew up on a farm but never wanted to be a farmer.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33It looked like hard work to me.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Dad was always out either milking or driving a tractor.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40So I trained as an engineer.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Enjoyed it but realised I actually quite liked being in the countryside.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Roger's father kept cows and made Cheddar,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54but the farm fell on hard times in the late 1990s
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and so Cheddar production stopped.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59To try to rebuild what his family had lost,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Roger placed all his hopes for the future
0:07:01 > 0:07:03in a different kind of cheese.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08In those days, there weren't many people making goat's cheese
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and I was very aware that goat's milk was starting to become popular.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15I think my father would be very proud if he was still here, so, yeah.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17That's the saddest bit - that he isn't here to see it.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Luckily, he hasn't had to do it all alone,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25as his farm manager Rob has been with the family business
0:07:25 > 0:07:27almost as long as his boss.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- I was there from the start. - You were born and bred here, weren't you, Rob?
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- Yeah, pretty much.- I've been very lucky with Rob -
0:07:33 > 0:07:37his father used to work for my father and now Rob works for me.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39I'd rather have the goats than the cows any day.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Any day. Look at me now.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I wouldn't be like this if I was with cows - that's for certain.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Drier. You don't get covered in... muck.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Come on, then, girls, come on.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I know most of them. They've all got their own personality
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and there's some miserable buggers as well.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Although you can milk cows with a robot,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07you can't milk goats with a robot cos they'll chew it to bits.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Hello, girls. All right?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20For Roger, the care he gives to his animals
0:08:20 > 0:08:23comes top of his list of duties if he's going to succeed.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34This is the start of our next generation of milking goats.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37You're my future, girl, aren't you? Yeah, I know, very important.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40We want to do everything possible to make life as easy and comfortable
0:08:40 > 0:08:43for them as possible, cos if they're happy and comfortable,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46they will grow so that when they come into the milking parlour,
0:08:46 > 0:08:47they produce lots of milk.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Does it get any cuter than this?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51No, it doesn't. I love this -
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I love being able to do this with our animals.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57I love the attention we can give them, and when you come down,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59they recognise you. They'll come up and say hello,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01particularly ones that have been sickly
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and you've really had to hand-rear them - they never forget you.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14The basics of cheesemaking have fundamentally stayed the same
0:09:14 > 0:09:17since its discovery thousands of years ago.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Ripening the cheese takes expertise,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and is a full-time job for one man at least.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Here he is, the cheese monster.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29This is Clarky, hiding in the background there.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31He's busy working away. We have a posh name for him.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33He's what we call an affineur.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35That's the French word for maturing cheese.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We call him Sponge Monkey. It's what he really is.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41He's in here all day with a sponge and a bucket of brine,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- washing cheese.- Yeah. I like it.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46If you leave it the same way up the whole time,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48all the liquid falls to the bottom and you get a soggy bottom
0:09:48 > 0:09:52and we don't like soggy bottoms. There's a small cheesemaker down the road from us
0:09:52 > 0:09:54who's putting in a robot for doing that.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It's really hard to find people who want to pick up and turn cheese
0:09:56 > 0:09:59all day. It's not the most exciting job.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Clarky will wash cheese for the rest of his life.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04He's stuck in here. There's a little bed in there -
0:10:04 > 0:10:05he sleeps in the corner there.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07He doesn't get to go home very often.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I never see natural sun!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12This is Rachel. This is our best-selling cheese
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and she's won quite a few classes outright -
0:10:14 > 0:10:17best goat's cheese and things like that.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20If we don't win some medals for this, I shall be extremely upset.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29The day of the show is fast approaching.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Reputations are at stake for both sets of cheesemakers.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I'll open the van up for you.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Yeah, let's get these loaded up, then.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41If the family pride is to be upheld,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46then Granny Ivy's spiritual intervention might be needed.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48We'll have a quick word with Ivy, for a start!
0:10:51 > 0:10:53She'll know before us, because...
0:10:53 > 0:10:57she'll be right in there with the judges, so she'll know before us!
0:10:59 > 0:11:02But leaving the farm seems more of a challenge for Tom.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08Tom never leaves Bruton, let alone gets as far as Wincanton or Frome,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10so it's a massive day.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13He'll have to fill up his car for the first time this year!
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Yeah, Tom will be up at four o'clock,
0:11:16 > 0:11:17limbering up, getting ready for it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- Waxing his cheese.- He'll be doing his fake tan before he goes!
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I would love to win the top prize. That'll be great.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31I wouldn't shout it too high from the rooftops but I'd certainly make a noise about it.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33We'll stop at the doctor's surgery on the way,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36get Tom's injections and get his passport stamped!
0:11:37 > 0:11:39He's driving, though.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And off they go.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Deep in the heart of the Somerset countryside,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03the world-renowned Frome Cheese Show is beginning to set up.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Started in the 1860s,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12it is part of the Frome Agricultural Show,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and the cheese awards have been an integral part of it
0:12:15 > 0:12:17for the best part of a century.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Cheesemakers from across the world enter these awards
0:12:25 > 0:12:29because winning accolades here can put producers on the map.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Judging will take place in an 1,800-square-foot tent.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- It's not quite as acidic as the last one.- No.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46The 50 judges have only just begun to taste,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48sniff and discuss their way
0:12:48 > 0:12:51through the thousand-plus cheeses here today.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Quite pleasant.
0:12:57 > 0:13:03These judges are selected from the best palates and producing experts in the country.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09When we're judging, we start from a technical perspective.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12When we grade them, we'll be using sight...
0:13:12 > 0:13:14touch...
0:13:14 > 0:13:16taste and smell.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- Smell the truffles? - Oh, yes.- This is great.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22We'll have a good discussion about each cheese, rank them accordingly,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25then make our decision as to what is the best one.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Occasionally, some people will listen to a Cheshire
0:13:28 > 0:13:30to see if it squeaks properly.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The sheer scale of what's been entered means judging
0:13:35 > 0:13:38will take place over most of the day.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47The cheesemakers themselves will only arrive later
0:13:47 > 0:13:50for the sit-down dinner and awards ceremony.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01These judges have already been going for four hours.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03It's quite mature.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Not quite as dry as the last one.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Nice texture.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18They need to sample 1,068 cheeses -
0:14:18 > 0:14:21including Cheddars, Cheshires,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24mozzarellas, Parmesans, Red Leicesters,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28blue cheeses and at least ten other varieties.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Very nice.
0:14:35 > 0:14:42One of the judges is former Coronation Street actor turned cheesemaker Sean Wilson.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Sean's hard-won knowledge has made him a sought-after judge,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and today he's all over the mozzarellas.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Very, very simple cheese, a mozzarella.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54What you should do when you first begin is,
0:14:54 > 0:14:55ten points for appearance,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57ten points for aroma,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59and ten points for the structure of the cheese.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02So, yeah, it's a ten-pointer.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06And if it breaks like a piece of bread, which exactly it does...
0:15:06 > 0:15:09it's the right colour. It's very much the right smell.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11It's got everything going for it. And then...
0:15:14 > 0:15:15It's got a rich flavour.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18It's the X factor - it just makes me smile.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I'm very passionate about the fact that I want to
0:15:21 > 0:15:23bring the public to the cheese,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27in so far as they can walk into a cheese shop with a bit more confidence.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31In the '80s, no-one would step into the wine shops
0:15:31 > 0:15:33because it's all a little bit of a world,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36it's a little bit above everybody, but it's not above everybody.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39That's what we've all learnt. It's the same with cheese.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So if I can just teach some people about the cheeses
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and then bring them slowly to the cheese shops,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49then hopefully the whole industry will all do better with it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53It's late afternoon.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And while the judges keep going...
0:15:58 > 0:16:01..the cheesemakers begin to arrive.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Even though it's the Clothier family's 76th year at this event,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12winning a trophy is still very important to them.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Though perhaps not top of their agenda at the moment.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It's looking like a cup of tea, then.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I thought you chaps were heading for a cider.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Well, I was heading for cider, but...
0:16:23 > 0:16:25It's a bit early.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28We always get a bit butterfly-y, you know,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30when you want to win something.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Goat's cheesemaker Roger hasn't shown here for a decade,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37but he's feeling just as apprehensive.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I was really nervous when I came in.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43There's a nice table of awards there, so we'll...
0:16:43 > 0:16:46We'll see. Hopefully some of them will come home with me.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52While Roger mingles with the creme de la creme of the cheese world...
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Yeah, a lot of good judges here, definitely.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I do like to get up and win awards, though. You know, we'll see.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01..unbeknown to him the judges have just reached one of his cheeses -
0:17:01 > 0:17:02his Tor.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Let's try this one.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12We've got...
0:17:12 > 0:17:13Mm!
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Just... Well, it's mould.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20This is an ash pyramid goat's cheese with a fungus rind,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24a lemony flavour and a smooth, close texture.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29You've got mould around the outside, generating some flavours in.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Pleasantly surprising.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Not overpowering.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I'd probably give that an eight, to be honest.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44With a promising start, they move straight on to Roger's next cheese,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46his best-selling Rachel.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48This is a semi-soft goat's cheese
0:17:48 > 0:17:51with a washed rind and a sweet, medium flavour.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Lovely smell.- Yeah, it is.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Always high hopes for Rachel. I'll be pleased if she wins.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I'll be upset if she doesn't win - put it that way.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Good texture. Nice, clean flavour.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- So you'd give that...- Seven? - Seven?- Yeah.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19But with a lot of cheeses still to taste,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Roger faces stiff competition.
0:18:23 > 0:18:29Looking to make an impact on the judges, as well, is the Clothier family's first entry.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33It's one of Granny Ivy's famous recipes,
0:18:33 > 0:18:38the vintage Cheddar that has been left to mature undisturbed for 18 months.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- It's definitely got aroma and it's clean.- Yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45We've done everything we can now.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48We've picked some lovely cheeses and, you know,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50hopefully they'll be what the judges are looking for.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Crumbly.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56All senses stimulated, just judgment to be passed.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- I think it's too crumbly.- Yeah.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01The acidity's got the texture and its shot.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- That falls away quite quickly. - It does, it goes flat.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08All you've got is sweetness and then nothing else.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12The first bite at judging isn't a strong one for Granny Ivy's cheese.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14If it didn't win, the judge was wrong.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Despite a tough start,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22it's definitely not all over for the Clothier family.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26The judges are about to taste another of Granny Ivy's secret-recipe Cheddars.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33It's the last chance for one of her cheeses to win
0:19:33 > 0:19:35in this fiercely competitive field.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39That crumbles and then comes back, doesn't it?
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- It fractures.- That's good.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44It fractures really, really easily.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Dad's got a mixture of, you know,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50"Did the judges look happy or didn't they?"
0:19:50 > 0:19:52He's trying to call it now.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54He's getting a bit anxious, I think.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I like how the layers of flavour build and a nice thing there is
0:19:59 > 0:20:02everything's balanced. Nothing's fighting.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- Really good.- Totally agree.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Definitely got a good chance.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08We picked some good cheese.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10You can never be certain, anyway, can you?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13You don't know what the judges are going to be looking for.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16All you can do is give it your best shot.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18They won't know it until later,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22but they have won a gold medal for this family heirloom.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26That's a nine-plus for me.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I like that more than the one in the previous classes.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- Nine?- Nine and a half?
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Nine and a half, yes.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- Yes. So it's a gold?- Definitely.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43The judging is almost coming to an end.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48Before it does, Roger has one more offering - his goat's curd.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56If we win a gold, it's a big reward for our team back at the farm and in the cheese room.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00They can see that what they're doing is working and other people really appreciate it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Winning a gold medal is a big ambition.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- Clearly goaty.- Mm.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12First to be judged are Roger's rivals in the section.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15There we are. Nice and crumbly.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17A little bit dry.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Is it better than the first one?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22There's almost not enough taste to it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Tough judges indeed.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29And with Roger's fresh curd the next cheese to be tried...
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Here we are. Last but not least.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36..his trial by trio is about to be run.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38We've got a fresh curd going,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42which is a lovely, spreadable, very simple cheese.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Nice and light.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Very creamy.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Tangy and really fresh.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- I do like that.- Excellent.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- So we have a clear winner?- We do.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- Are you comfortable that 238 is a clear winner?- Yep, sounds good.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- Very nice.- Excellent.
0:22:05 > 0:22:06We have a gold.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Both the Clothier family and Roger were awarded at least one gold
0:22:17 > 0:22:20for their cheeses earlier today.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23This means they could qualify for the trophy tonight.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26The shows are all about the awards, you know.
0:22:26 > 0:22:32It's nice to meet people but I am here primarily to pick up awards that we've won, hopefully.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I'll be happy if we pick up a trophy for one of those cheeses that we
0:22:36 > 0:22:38tried yesterday and, you know,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I still think if I had to put my money on it,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I think that extra mature was worth something, I think.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Main course is local lamb with new potatoes and a mint dressing.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57But it's the cheese course that everyone's interested in.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03You know at a cheese awards you're going to get a quality cheeseboard, so it's great.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- Here you are.- Sorry.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Not long for the awards now. Just going to finish this cheese and hopefully we'll get on with it.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14You can hear, it is buzzing behind me.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Nobody other than probably just two or three people know who've won.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20They're sitting there in anticipation,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22trying to enjoy their meal,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and hoping that at the end of it they're going to be able to get up
0:23:25 > 0:23:28and take a cup or a trophy or an award.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37We're now going to start to present the awards and I'm very pleased that
0:23:37 > 0:23:39our vice president, Nell Matheson,
0:23:39 > 0:23:45has travelled all the way down from Skye today to be here to present these awards. Nell Matheson.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55We're presenting the awards ending up with the global champion,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59so we're starting with the class winners that have a trophy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04The Clothier family have done well with three of their Cheddars today
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and are up for the first group of awards tonight.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11And in this instance,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15the first class is traditional farmhouse extra-mature Cheddar...
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And the winners are Keens Cheddar.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Thank you very much.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Class 837 is the medium farmhouse Cheddar, and it's Barbers.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- I'll just have to do disappointment again, won't I?- No, you won't.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I've got a degree in disappointment now.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Now we're moving on to the category of the creamery cheese and the first
0:24:51 > 0:24:55is for mild, white creamery Cheddar and the winner is...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00..Dairy Crest Davidstow.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Yet another disappointment for the family.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17The best goat's cheese trophy is next and Roger may have two bites at this cherry -
0:25:17 > 0:25:19his best-selling goat's cheese, Rachel,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and his gold-medal-winning curd.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27It's when it comes up to announcing the awards for class winners that I know I've got a cheese entered,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29I will be on the edge of my seat. I will be.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I want to win.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Best goat's cheese...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38..Vandersterre Groep International BV.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40But it's not to be.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51The Clothiers have one last cheese that could bring home a trophy.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56There is a cup for the finest mature Cheddar...
0:25:58 > 0:26:01..and the winner of this class is Wyke Farms.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02CHEERING
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Well done.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31This is about as good as it gets. Finest mature is...
0:26:31 > 0:26:34- It's what we came for.- It's what it's all about, isn't it?
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Yeah, Ivy was definitely up there looking down, no doubt about it.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40It's wonderful to think that a recipe has continued
0:26:40 > 0:26:42for over so long a period -
0:26:42 > 0:26:45it shows how good a recipe it really was.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49I might put it on Ivy's old mantelpiece, actually.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51- There you go, John.- Yeah.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56It's been a lovely night. Yeah, we haven't won the major prizes but we won at least one gold
0:26:56 > 0:27:00and that's always good, you know, so we'll be back next year for more.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01Have to up our game a bit.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12The Frome Cheese Awards are over for another year.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16They've been a celebration of the best of the British countryside.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Both of these cheesemaking families have worked hard to get here.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28There's some really tough parts of this job,
0:27:28 > 0:27:29because farming isn't easy.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33You get good years and you get bad years so, yeah, there's tough times.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It's not all beer and skittles, as the locals say.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40The future starts today.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's about doing the good things right and turning up and doing a job
0:27:44 > 0:27:48that you can be proud of and making cheese that we can be proud of
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and running the farm in a way that we're happy with
0:27:51 > 0:27:53and we're proud of as well.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I think we make the best cheese in the world.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I believe we make the best cheese in the world.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03I will always be a little guy.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Even if we've got 50, 60 people,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07we will always operate in the way of a small company.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12The guys who make the cheese, they're for ever trying to think of new types of cheese
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and I'm happy to let them do that and experiment and give it a go because I don't know what
0:28:16 > 0:28:19the next big cheese is going to be, you know, and they might come across
0:28:19 > 0:28:21an absolute winner, which would be great.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23What does the future hold?
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Hopefully, more cheese.