Think yourself a seasoned cheese connoisseur? Then grab a spot at the ultimate cheese tasting event to hit Peterborough!
The city’s Brewery Tap restaurant in Westgate is hosting a series of cheese nights, organised by cheese experience brand Homage2Fromage. ESP's food writer Kelly Jackson was excited to be invited to the first one – and what a night it was...
The Brewery Tap’s function room was packed with cheese lovers come to spend an evening enjoying eight surprise dairy delights from Wales and Ireland.
We had ample time to peruse the tasting notes, house rules and scoring sheets on the tables while we waited for the action to start. It’s a great opportunity to chat with people you don’t know as most guests sat together on several long tables set up within the room.
Everyone took a good look at the food temptingly displayed at the front of the room, which only increased the anticipation to get stuck in.
Once the doors to the function room were firmly closed – like our own cheesy lock in – the organisers talked through the order of the evening and gave some light-hearted do’s and don’ts. Then, on the magic word ‘Cheese’, each row lined up one by one to sample a selection of different fromage.
We were advised to take a thumb-sized piece of each cheese at first – just in case anyone wasn’t a fan of a particular variety – and judge it on texture, aroma and flavour, followed by a score out of 10. Of course, we all know that the good stuff goes down best with all the trimmings, so crackers, bread, chutney, tomatoes, celery and grapes were available on the side.
Just in case anyone needed a second opinion of their final scores, we could go back up to the big table for another helping. After we’d had our fill of fromage, my partner and I exchanged notes and scores. While he’s always been partial to a strong, mature cheese, I much prefer a mild and milky variety. So, it was no surprise when we didn’t agree on any of the cheeses we’d recently sampled. In fact, my top ranking one (a Gorwydd Caerphilly with a dense crumbly centre and lemony flavours) was placed last on his list. But that’s the fun of the event as everyone’s tastebuds are different.
At the end of the evening, Homage2Fromage gave a short presentation about the cheeses everyone had been eating, with a handout detailing each one readily available to take away. This first cheese night was a roaring success and had huge interest – and it’s easy to see why.
The next event is all about Italian cheese, taking place at 7pm on Wednesday June 5.
Tickets are now on sale at £19 per person plus a booking fee. So, if this sounds like your type of unique night out, it’s best to nab your spot sooner rather than later – we’ve been told it’s already selling like hotcakes!
Cheese tasting events will also be held on Wednesday August 7 and Wednesday October 2 (themes still to be confirmed).
For further information and to book visit Events Archive - The Brewery Tap - Peterborough (thebrewery-tap.com)
Kelly Jackson
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