Thursday, November 27, 2008
Questions to make your mouth water
From yesterday's Plenary:
David Melding: I have said this before, but it it is worth repeating: I think that you are a splendid big cheese; I am a mere cheese aficionado. [Laughter.] Cheese producers are often small enterprises and marketing is difficult when you have many producers at the real quality end. The Welsh Assembly Government was right to attract the British Cheese Awards to Cardiff earlier in the autumn. What further ventures along that line will you propose?
I will just remind you of what the judges said about Pont Gar, which was the Welsh cheese of the year:
'a large deep wheel covered with a thick, firm fitting, soft white mould. It has a soft, custard texture and the interior is deliciously smooth and creamy and feels wickedly rich and the garlic and herbs are wonderfully subtle.’
Do you not want to eat pounds of the stuff? That is the sort of publicity that we need.
Elin Jones: Unfortunately, sometimes I do eat pounds of the stuff. On a serious note, Welsh cheeses are among the best in the world: both the smaller artisan cheeses that are sold in places all around the world, including Harrods and other major retailers, and the bulk cheeses produced by some of our larger co-operatives in Wales. We need to ensure that we retain and develop our entire cheese sector, because there is nothing better than a bit of cheese and bread.
David Melding: I have said this before, but it it is worth repeating: I think that you are a splendid big cheese; I am a mere cheese aficionado. [Laughter.] Cheese producers are often small enterprises and marketing is difficult when you have many producers at the real quality end. The Welsh Assembly Government was right to attract the British Cheese Awards to Cardiff earlier in the autumn. What further ventures along that line will you propose?
I will just remind you of what the judges said about Pont Gar, which was the Welsh cheese of the year:
'a large deep wheel covered with a thick, firm fitting, soft white mould. It has a soft, custard texture and the interior is deliciously smooth and creamy and feels wickedly rich and the garlic and herbs are wonderfully subtle.’
Do you not want to eat pounds of the stuff? That is the sort of publicity that we need.
Elin Jones: Unfortunately, sometimes I do eat pounds of the stuff. On a serious note, Welsh cheeses are among the best in the world: both the smaller artisan cheeses that are sold in places all around the world, including Harrods and other major retailers, and the bulk cheeses produced by some of our larger co-operatives in Wales. We need to ensure that we retain and develop our entire cheese sector, because there is nothing better than a bit of cheese and bread.
