Reclaiming traditional Cheddar cheese from its pale imitators... 
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The English have a curiously laissez-faire attitude to their cheese. Step on the toes of Roquefort or Parmigiano-Reggiano and the full weight of European law will come crashing down upon you, but instead of protecting our national cheese we have allowed its name to be used and abused around the world. We're talking, of course, about Cheddar. First recorded in 1170 and still the UK's most popular cheese with over 51% of the market, it is an English culinary institution. But walk into any supermarket and you will see Irish Cheddar, Scottish Cheddar, American Cheddar, Canadian Cheddar, even (shudder) Cheddar in a spray can. Traditionally a cheese could only call itself Cheddar if it was made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral. Protection does now exist for the term 'West Country Farmhouse Cheddar' which can only be made in the four counties of South West England. But if you want to taste real Cheddar cheese where else would you go other than the village of Cheddar itself, nestled at the foot of Cheddar Gorge? Richard Taylor made just such a journey and recorded the work of the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company, the only dairy left in the village producing authentic Cheddar cheese - made by experienced head cheesemaker Andy Paton from the unpasteurised milk of Trevor Lukin's local dairy herd, wrapped in cloth and allowed to mature for up to 18 months. The key to the maturing process is to keep the cheese at a constant temperature. In many parts of the world, special refrigeration facilities are required to accomplish this. In Cheddar, they simply take their cheese up to the caves of Cheddar Gorge where nature's own larder provides the perfect environment.
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