The Vive Le Cheese contest invited UK food bloggers to indulge in their cheese eating passion and then share the experience in words and pictures.
All entries were then checked by a 3 judge panel composed of Patricia Michelson at La Fromagerie along with Laurent Damiens and Denise Navarro of CNIEL (a French Dairy Trade Group).
Contestants were introduced to the topic at hand during a cheese and wine pairing session at La Fromagerie. The visit included a peek at the Cave d'Affinage (one of them at least).
I mentioned some good Armagnac and Cheese pairings a couple weeks ago, Susanna Forbes of Drink Britain looked at pairing French cheeses with British ciders and Single Malt Scotch. Camembert worked well with Perry's Somerset Dabinett Cider while 16 year Lagavulin Single Malt "seaweed- and bonfire-like pungency matched Roquefort’s saltiness, while its creaminess found a foil in the whisky’s rich depth" Susanna writes.
A Short history of Brie by Gourmet Origins won second prize.
First prize in the Written Blog category was awarded to London Food Detective who could not resist taking a snapshot of this Cheese crowded map of France.
Next was the Visual Blog category.
I like the 'Dejeuner sur l'herbe' feel of Tarte au Camembert by Anne's Kitchen (second prize).
Anne let's have a picnic sometime.
First prize for Visual blog was Gail Haslam of One Million Gold Stars. I want that sunny cheese pile (below).
Whether the texture of the cheese was ripe or firm, Vive Le Cheese was a soft sell effort on behalf of French cheeses in the UK.
The whole affair was orchestrated by Sopexa which helps French food and wine producers market and export their fares.
I am game for a Vive Le Cheese Contest Made in the USA…