Wensleydale Cheese

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

(Shamefully) tonight is the first time since moving out here that I’ve had any Wensleydale Cheese; I’m enjoying an oak-smoked version, along with some Brewdog IPA.

This stuff is absolutely delicious!!! Soft, crumbly, moist, and curd-like. Slightly sweet with a pleasant acidic tang. Highly recommended. [cheers.gif]

2

Oh, I thought you mean me. Mr. Wensleydale

3

Nope. I was just deliberately wasting your time.

4

We named our cat “Mr. Wensleydale” (Wensley for short) partially for the cheese but also in honor of this skit:

Wensleydale is not easy to find around here, but currently available with embedded cranberries at our local Costco. It’s really good, very much as you describe, but I’d like to try the oak-smoked variety.

5

They make a big deal about Wensleydale in Wallace & Gromit cartoons which has always made me curious. I did see some at my local supermarket the other day – will have to give it a whirl…

6

Larry, I’ve seen at least one live version of that skit where Mr. Wensleydale’s final line before getting shot is what I wrote 3 posts above this one. It’s a fantastic skit — very Monty Python! :slight_smile:

The cranberried version is also quite popular out here.

7

blush never seen it live! [thumbs-up.gif]

Our cranberry Wensleydale from Costco I just checked says Ashley Chase Cheese Company, Dorset, which I think makes it “Wensleydale Style” cheese? Is there an AOC for cheese? Wensleydale Dairy has ads where they claim you want your Wensleydale to come from Wensleydale.

I have seen Wallace & Gromit branded Wensleydale at V. Sattui. My understanding is that the animation brought the cheese back to prominence which brought an infusion of cash and helped to renovate the nearly-bankrupt dairy.

8

Wallace and Gromit
In the 1990s, sales had fallen so low that production was at risk of being suspended. However, the popular Wallace and Gromit animated shorts A Grand Day Out and A Close Shave had the main character Wallace, a cheese connoisseur, mention Wensleydale as a particularly favourite cheese. Animator Nick Park chose it solely because it had a good name that would be interesting to animate, unaware of the company’s financial difficulties. The company contacted Aardman Animations about a licence for a special brand of “Wallace and Gromit Wensleydale”, which proved to be an enormous success. When the 2005 full-length Wallace and Gromit film, Curse of the Were-Rabbit, was released, sales of Wensleydale cheeses jumped by 23%.



Protected status
Wensleydale Dairy Products is seeking to protect the name Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese under a submission for Protected designation of origin.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) aims to promote and protect food products in the European Union, and is used to describe foodstuffs which are produced, processed and prepared in a given geographical area using recognised know-how. This will mean that any manufacturers outside Wensleydale will be unable to call a cheese Yorkshire Wensleydale.

The application process involves the first stage submission and approval by DEFRA after which the application is submitted to the European Union.

Here is our own Mr. Wensleydale:

9

LOL!! Niice! [highfive.gif] [thumbs-up.gif]