We have just come back from a whirlwind trip to Sacramento. I think we spent more time flying than we did sleeping in our hotel room whilst we were there! We were in the capital of California for the American Cheese Society’s annual conference and it was incredible. I was speaking during the welcome session which was the perfect icebreaker as everyone instantly knew who we were. I had a 5 minute slot and wasn’t allowed any notes or prompts but those of you who know me will know that I can talk about cheese until the cows come home so I was fairly relaxed. I have to admit that I would have been a lot more nervous if I’d known that there were nearly 1000 people listening but it all seemed to go OK.

The conference consisted of various workshops which included tasting sessions as well as advice on common defects in cheese and pairing ideas. One of my favourite sessions was a guided tasting of Oregon cheeses. The photo above shows the cheese selection that was on all of the tables when we entered the session. The most surprising cheese was Queso Botanero which is made by a Mexican cheesemaker. He added Cilantro (coriander to you and me…) and jalapeño pepper. The coriander was so fresh and added a really delicate flavour and the pepper added quite a kick at the end. I also loved the Oregon Blue which is made by Rogue River Creamery and forms the base of all of the blue cheeses that they make. It was smooth, mild but with some nuances that kept your taste buds interested.

The conference also featured the announcement of the winner of the ACS Judging & Competition. All of the winning cheeses were announced with a Canadian cheese called Alfred Le Fermier winning the Best In Show title. Amazingly the same dairy won with a different cheese last year. Alfred is a Comté style cheese and I was lucky enough to try some – it is fruity and fudgy with a hint of caramel on the finish, totally delightful. The other highlight was a Meet the Maker session where over 120 cheesemakers had samples of the wares on offer. You’ll be pleased to hear that I didn’t sample all of them but the cheese that prompted me to propose to Ali 12 years ago was on offer and so we both had a piece. It’s called Mt Tam, made in Northern California and it was just as good as it was back then and we both fell in love with it again.The most unusual cheese was a 500lb wheel of Oaxaca which is a hispanic cheese that looks like a giant ball of string…! Unfortunately we can’t get any of these fantastic cheeses here in the UK but if you are ever in the States then they are really worth looking out for.

Our time in Sacramento ended with a fantastic boat ride on the Sacramento river which (obviously) involved more cheese. Monterey Jack which is an American classic was on taste along with some Pepper Jack. I’m not usually a spicy cheese person but the Pepper Jack was subtly spiced and surprisingly lovely. We then headed to a local market where (thankfully) there was no cheese on offer but the fruit and vegetables were so huge that they made everything here feel like doll’s house food. We saw an aubergine that would literally have fed us both for a week. I guess that’s what California sunshine does for you! I also managed to fit in my 10k run everyday so at least the cheese consumption was balanced out with exercise!

Being away is always nice but I am a bit of a home bird and so coming back to Pangbourne was a delight, even after only 4 days away. Our team in the shop are amazing and I know the shop is in safe hands but I do miss it a lot when I’m not there. So to celebrate being home I am very excited to say that we have a new cheese hitting the counter over the next couple of days (I just need to find space to fit it in…) Bibury is a hard ewe’s milk cheese made by the fantastically talented David Jowett of King Stone Dairy. He uses milk from the herd that provided milk to go into Berkswell cheese. I love the fact that this amazing milk is still being used in cheesemaking. It has a smooth texture and its rind develops a colourful array of moulds, including red, grey, brown, and white, as it matures. It looks totally stunning. Its flavour profile offers rich, sweet, and fatty tastes accompanied by the enticing aroma of hazelnuts. Definitely one to try and I will be putting it on our website for a limited time.