This year’s Artisan Cheese Fair took place at the Stockyard Melton Mowbray, over two days of the exceptionally warm May bank holiday weekend. Our roving reporter, Steve, clambered into his campervan with five friends and tells us about the extraordinary atmosphere he encountered on his first-ever visit to this historic event.
“I’ve been familiar with the annual Artisan Cheese Fair and the legendary food-based events held in Melton (think Piefest and Chocfest) for several years. That’s because I help with the Discover Melton website. However, I have singularly failed to make the journey to the Stockyard from my place of residence in Market Harborough – until now.”
I love cheese! So that was motivation enough to head a few miles north to explore. Yes, the hot weather gave me cause for concern with cheese, but I imagined (correctly, it transpires) that the covered areas at the venue would provide sufficient shelter for temperature-sensitive dairy-based produce.
I had mentioned the Cheese Fair to friends in Harborough over the previous few days. Much fascination was aroused. And so it was on the morning of Sunday 24th May, the day I had chosen to visit, a flurry of texts scuppered my plans for a solo drive, enjoying the sun in a convertible car along the sometimes-too-exciting humps and tight bends of the B6047. Instead, with five mates insisting on tagging along, I rounded them up in a 50-year-old classic campervan – and we struck out on an adventure.
Surprisingly easy access to tasty treats
Upon arriving outside the Stockyard entrance in Scalford Road, we were directed to free parking just 100 metres away. That’s always appreciated and a great start to the visit. By now it was past midday, so no queue to pay our £7 entry fee. Five steps and we were in the first of the cheese exhibitor areas – Stockyard Hall H – and immediately confronted with an array of tasting choices from Long Clawson Dairy (based just seven miles north of the town). We appreciated not only the range of cheeses to sample, but the generous size of the sampling portions. I’ve been served less for the cheese course in restaurants!
Armed with cocktail sticks, we broke up into groups to cover the ground more efficiently. That first Stockyard hall housed almost 20 stalls, half of them cheese providers and too many to list, but a special note must go to Fen Farm Dairy, sporting three rosettes for excellence. It’s not all cheese, by the way: we were indulged by bakeries, gin and spirit makers, gift suppliers, chocolates, cider, and of course pies.
Leaving Hall H, I ventured into the main concourse and the bright sunshine, where I spotted a row of stalls housing purveyors of hot food, with Ferneleys serving its locally-made ice cream from a cart. I made a note of that for later.
Ahead of me was the main hall area, split into five sections, each rammed with exhibitors. I can’t remember exactly where I headed first, but it involved cheese and more tasting. That seemed to be the point. After a few mouthwatering nibbles, I bumped into one of my team who pointed me firmly towards Feltham’s Farm with a personal recommendation to sample a soft cheese. I obeyed. And I’m jolly glad I did. ‘Lucky Marcel’ went on my “must buy” list.
Okay, buying cheese at the Artisan Cheese Fair is temptingly easy, and that’s no bad thing. But wandering around the Stockyard with a rucksack of dairy produce in temperatures exceeding 30°C seemed unwise. Therefore, I adopted a strategy of photographing each of the cheeses I found particularly enticing, so that I could review the images later in the afternoon and visit the appropriate stalls to stock up. That worked well, but not as well as I’d imagined. Turns out I took over 60 photos. Draw your own conclusions.
Touring the halls
Undeterred by the abundance of temptation, I spent 20 minutes cruising around the stalls in Halls E & D. By then, it was time for some refreshment – a moment that coincided with my arrival at cidermakers Gwatkin. I love cider as much as I love cheese! Again, tasting was on the menu. After a few test sips, I settled on the Farmhouse Perry. That was light and fresh: perfect for the sweltering heat.
Suitably refreshed, I continued my exploration and uncovered countless gems – both in the cheesiness of cheeses and the meatiness of pies. Obviously, pies are another nationally famous Melton delicacy.
Next, I happened across the stand for Hidden Food Tours, manned by a smiling young lady. I knew something of this organisation from working on the Discover Melton website, but recalled that we were lacking suitable imagery for the site. So I seized the opportunity to take a couple of photos of the very obliging Charlotte on her stand.
A surreal moment!
It wasn’t long before more refreshment was needed. I looked to track down my friends and learnt that they had last been seen heading to the Round Corner Brewery Tap Room. How magnificently convenient it is to have a brewery on site! Nonetheless, despite the magnificence of the brewery, I was sidetracked by a converted red double-decker London bus: the engagingly-named British Bus Bar.
As I stood in the short queue, a weird thing happened. A group of people, splendidly overdressed in regal purple robes, appeared from behind the bus (from my perspective) and broke into song. A Gospel Choir!
To be honest, ‘surreal’ doesn’t do the moment justice: I was standing alongside a bus waiting for a chilled cider; my mates were sat at a table in the sun a few metres away outside a brewery; around a hundred food & drink-related exhibitors were in the shade of the Stockyard halls behind me; and a Gospel Choir just sidled into view with beautiful vocal harmonies. You couldn’t make it up!
Stocking up
With thirsts quenched, too much cheese consumed through tastings, and all the stalls visited at least once, it was time to retrace our steps and purchase the goods. I managed to sift through my 60+ photos to identify the cheeses that deserved further attention.
Revisiting the cheesemakers led to some unexpected additional purchases. Sometimes it was too challenging to choose between two variants of a cheese on display. “Do I plump for the regular recipe, or opt for the truffle-infused alternative?” Clearly, the right solution was to purchase both. That happened a lot.
As it turns out, several of the products I had earmarked were Artisan Fair award-winners. That may or may not be a coincidence. Either way, it seems I hold the same view as the judges. Theirs would have been a tough job!
My circuitous and somewhat rambling route through the halls took me back to the very first stall we’d encountered to pick up some fine golden blue cheese and a block of a deliciously spicy concoction featuring chilli and harissa from Long Clawson Dairy.
Stilton time, sort of!
You can’t visit the Artisan Cheese Fair and leave without a Stilton. Melton is world-famous for it, and there was plenty on offer. Ironically, though, and perhaps to the possible dismay of Stilton producers in Melton Borough, my personal favourite was from a few miles further north in Nottinghamshire (for which I humbly apologise). And this cheese isn’t Stilton, officially. Or at least, it can’t be called Stilton.
Using raw cow’s milk, Stichelton cheese doesn’t conform to the European PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) rules conveyed on Stilton producers in the region back in 1996, because such cheese must be made with pasteurised milk. You might argue that it’s a marginal distinction, but it is a distinction, nonetheless. Irrespective of the milk and processes used, it was my personal favourite – and yes, I know that’s subjective.
With the thermometer still showing 29°C, it was time for the me and the posse to head back to Harborough. The afternoon was declared a huge success, with plans already agreed to repeat our visit next year and to bring larger rucksacks! But before that, Piefest looms on 1st & 2nd August. That’s firmly planted in the diary.
If the success of a trip to a food festival can be measured by the weight of one’s bounty, my 3.45kg cheese haul probably speaks for itself!
Don’t miss out!
A final word of advice if you’re reading this: keep an eye on the Discover Melton website to catch the dates announced for the Artisan Cheese Fair 2027 so you don’t miss out.
