On Wednesday 25th July, Shaun and I made the 198 mile trek to Nantwich from Southampton to have a fun-filled cheesy day out. I was invited to the event to provide some blogging coverage of the day and despite the distance, I thought it would be too good an opportunity to turn down. Plus, I really wanted to say ‘my first blogging event was really cheesy’. Luckily for me, my dad occasionally travels to Lichfield for work, so we managed to blag ourselves a lift the majority of the way (thanks dad!) then caught the train up to Nantwich for some cheese related antics.
The Nantwich Show in Cheshire is the UK’s largest one day show with over 450 trade stands, attractions and of course tons and tons of free award winning cheese to sample. The day before The Nantwich Show is the International Cheese Awards. This is where over 5,000 cheeses from all over the world are sampled by 250 judges and a huge selection of awards are presented in various different categories. So this event is therefore a must for any cheese lover.
7:00 in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead (pre-cheese photograph).
The day before the event, I was sent a press pass, which made me feel very important ha ha. These were pretty cool and the main perk was being able to walk straight into the show without having to queue.
We were in the showground for about 5 minutes, before Aima Tech Electric Bikes asked to take our photograph next to one of their bikes. They encouraged me to have a go on it, but I decided against the idea due to the length of my dress (ha ha). The cheese awards is no place for knicker flashing.
Instead, here I am posing with one of their flashy bikes. I am sure they are pretty good so long as you are wearing the appropriate clothing.
Shaun wasted no time in finding his dream tractor and insisting I take a photo. (Not really, it was more like go on Shaun, do it for the blog!)
I can never resist taking a colourful flowers-in-window-box photo.
It wasn’t long before we were drawn towards the foodie stalls and in keeping with the cheese theme, we ordered ourselves a pizza. This is from Bare Bones Pizza, a modern van which is now converted into a kitchen that produces Neapolitan style wood fired pizzas. I ordered the Vegetarian (Boneless) with red onion, peppers, sliced tomato and cheese and it was ready in just under 5 minutes and tasted delicious.
After our tasty lunch, we felt re-energized and went for a walk around the showground. There was so much to see and do: there were stalls selling everything such as flowers, sweets, clothing, artwork, crafts, electric bikes, tractors and plenty of opportunities to chat to various charities, radio stations and watch interactive demos like cow milking.
This is not a real cow although it did fool us when we first spotted it.
This is an actual cow who very kindly posed for his photograph.
It was amazing to be able to get up close to these huge cows. They were having so much attention but seemed pretty chill about the whole thing.
Funny orange sheep which looked like chicken drum sticks.
A few sheep experimenting with blue hair dye.
The main attraction was the enormous cheese marquee which was home to an abundance of cheeses. We armed ourselves with these little cocktail sticks and set about having the best time sampling ALL THE CHEESE which came our way.
One of my favourites was the Applewood cheese, I dunno if that was because it was one of the first I sampled but it did taste lovely and I did go back for seconds.
A fantastic cheese cake (or cheesecake) by Godfrey C Williams & Sons Ltd who won gold award for this impressive creation.
A tasty looking cheeseboard from Norseland Limited.
How much cheese can you fit into one cheese tent?
Each trader was very welcoming and all happy to chat about their cheeses.
I think we must have eaten about 2 blocks of cheese between us by the end. I had never eaten so much cheese in my entire life!
One of the coolest things about the day was discovering that Martin Platt from Corrie (also known as Sean Wilson) is a cheesemaker! I was so starstuck when I saw him, I blurted out (quite loudly) wow, it’s Martin Platt from Coronation Street! to which he smiled politely and said hello.
After Sean left the street he decided to fulfil his lifelong passion of cooking and went on to spend a year training as a chef, working at a number of Michelin starred restaurants. In 2009 Sean started a new venture, “The Saddleworth Cheese Company” with best friend of 30 years Mark Revell. You can read more about Sean’s award winning cheese company here.
The day was certainly full of celebrity and in the afternoon we watched James Martins live cooking demonstration where he cooked a three course meal. I told Shaun to take notes so I’m hoping for something tasty soon…
We finished the day with an ice cream before making our way back to Nantwich train station. Despite a small mishap of getting on the wrong train and nearly ending up in Manchester, we arrived back in Lichfield where my dad was kindly waiting for us to make the long journey home. Overall, it was a fabulous day in the Cheshire sunshine, eating our body weight in various delicious cheeses, celebrity spotting and learning a thing or two on the way.
Have you been to The Nantwich Show? I encourage you to make a date in your diary for the 2019 Nantwich Show and International Cheese Awards and hopefully we will return next year (so long as my dad is working up North again).
My mouth is watering. The prize winning cheese cake… I think this is the sort of wedding cake I’d want (if I wasn’t so addicted to sugar)
And I loved the drumstick sheep!
Author
Thanks Kate! 💖 The drumstick sheep made me laugh 😂 and that cheese cake looked so tasty! Glad you enjoyed the post lovely 😘 xx
Bexa this is my dream kind of show! I love cheese. Sounds like a really great day out. I’d love to see James Martin cooking live how cool!
Author
Thanks Rachael! 💖 James Martin was really entertaining! I’m still waiting for Shaun to cook me something though 😂. Glad you enjoyed the post lovely! 😘 xx
Oh my God I got so confused! I was looking at the picture of the REAL cow but reading the caption for the NOT real cow and was staring at it for ages thinking NO WAY IS THAT NOT REAL haha. These are such lovely photos, looks like you had an absolutely lovely day! A cheese festival / awards sounds like an absolute dream ugh I LOVE CHEESE! xxx
Author
Ha ha! That’s so funny! 😂🙈 Maybe I need to put the picture before the caption instead to avoid cow confusion 😝. Yay for cheese! Glad you enjoyed the post lovely! 💖 xx
OMG, this is literally the dream: cheese, flowers, a cute bike, cheese, cows, sheep, sweets, cheese. You lucky thing, I am super envious, haha. Those wedding cakes and platters look amazing, such a wonderful alternative to cake. It looks like you had a wonderful day (travel aside) and you’ve taken some gorgeous photos – thank you so much for sharing your day out with us. We have the Frome Cheese Show near us in September, so I think I’m going to have to drag Alan and Flora along to that now 🙂 xx
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
Author
Thanks so much Lisa! 💖 The cheesy wedding cakes are amazing aren’t they 😍 such a cool alternative to regular wedding cakes. Wow yes! You should definitely check out the Frome Cheese Show! I’m sure you, Alan & Flora will have a brilliant time! 😍 xx
That looks like a really good day out. Some of these things can be a little boring, yet here there is so much going on. I may go next year
Author
Thanks Pip! 💖 There is so much to see and do, there was loads more we wanted to look at but ran out of time. Hopefully see you there next year! 😍 xx
Oh this sounds like such an amazing day! I definitely would have enjoyed eating my bodyweight in cheese haha. That pizza also looks so tasty oh myyyyy. You took some fab photos, it looks as if you had an amazing time! Thanks for sharing, now I want some cheese 😅 x
Evie x | https://eviejayne.co.uk
Author
Thanks so much Evie! 💖 It certainly was a very cheese-filled day 😄. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and photos lovely 😘 xx
Bexa! This looks like a fabulous day! I’m definitely putting the date in the diary for next year! I looooove cheese and don’t live too far from Nantwich so this looks perfect for me! Plus a day filled with chicken drumstick sheep, Martin Platt and James Martin just tops it all off. Thanks for sharing!
Lots of love,
Molly xo
http://gracetoglowandgo.com
Author
Thanks so much Molly! 💖 Ooh that’s awesome that you don’t live far from Nantwich! I’d definitely recommend it for a fun day out next year, hopefully I’ll return again myself and we can meet up and eat cheese together!! 😍 xx
It looked amazin, but now I really want cheese!😂😂
Author
Thanks Ellen! Cheese is the best! 😍 xx
This genuinely looks such an incredible day!
Author
Thanks Ellie! It was so much fun! 😍 xx
Wow this looks so fab, I love these anyway so I’m already jealous but love farming and that pizza looks divine! Great post, I’m hoping to get to a few events this year to blog about, something a bit different to my usual posts
Author
Thanks so much Gem! 💖 The pizza was delicious! That’s so cool, I hope you find some fun events, I’m sure it will make for brilliant blog posts! 😍 xx
I absolutely love cheese but have never thought to actually go to a cheese show but this post has made me want to! You looked like you had such a great day and ate some great food. Also really love all the photos you took! Xx
Author
Thanks so much Aaliyah! 💖 I never knew cheese shows existed before this one and now I want to return every year! 😆 Glad you enjoyed the post and photos lovely! 😍 xx
I am so jealous! cheese dreams! That pizza looked insane, check you out with your press pass miss VIP!
Author
Thanks Anna! 💖 I know, the press pass was very cool 😎 and the pizza was amazing! Glad you enjoyed the post 😍 xx
What an amazing day out! This event looks like my sort of thing and your pizza looked delicious.
Kate x
cakeandcoast.com
Author
Thanks Kate! 💖 The pizza was amazing! Glad you enjoyed the post, I’d definitely recommend the show! 😍 xx
This sounds amazing!!
Author
Thank you, it was brilliant! 💖 xx
Looks like you had a fabulous day! I think I’d have been excited about receiving the press pass too. That pizza looks delicious and I’ve never seen an orange sheep before, they look so strange! I love the dress you chose to wear as well it’s really pretty!
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
Author
Thanks so much Jess! 💖 The orange sheep were so funny 😆 and the pizza was amazing! Aww thank you lovely, the dress is from New Look 😘 xx
This looks like such a fun event. It looks like a real cheese heaven. x
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Author
Thanks Antonia, I definitely was in cheese heaven! 😍 xx
Well that sounds like the perfect first blogging event! I’m so jealous of you getting to watch James Martin cook – I’m currently watching one of his TV programmes haha xx
Author
Thanks Faye! 💖 Ha ha, no way, that’s so cool! I like him, he’s pretty funny and his food always looks so good! 😍 xx
That’s a staggering amount of cheese.. did they have a fondue section as well ?
Author
Thanks Michael! 💖 It was an incredible amount of cheese, I didn’t see one but I didn’t have time to explore everywhere. Next year I’ll definitely go back for a better look 😍 xx
I’m not going to lie, this sounds like heaven to me! I absolutely LOVE cheese (always have) and would love to be able to sample a larger selection…yes I know how sad that sounds haha I live very close to farms in my village and I always love seeing all the cows/sheep/horses around me when I go for walks – they’re so friendly 🙂 xx
Jade | jademarie.co.uk
Author
Thanks Jade! 💖 He he, sampling a large selection of cheese is definitely a great experience! I’d would highly recommend the show to any cheese lover 😍. The animals were so friendly and chilled too. Glad you enjoyed the post lovely 😘 xx
O boy you sound like you had an awesome day! I enjoy posts like this, so much fun to learn about what other cities have to offer, truly encourages me to get out and look for activities to do where I live. Now I have a taste for Mac n Cheese. BRB!
Natonya | http://www.justnatonya.wordpress.com
Author
Thanks so much Natonya! 💖 It was such a fun day out! He he, glad you enjoyed the post and enjoy your mac n cheese 😆💕 xx
Brilliant photography on this post! So jealous of the free cheese !
– http://www.theordinaryblogger.com
Author
Thank you! We were so lucky to get to try so much free and tasty cheese! 💖 xx
Omg A CHEESE FESTIVAL?! I would be in heaven! Looks like you both had an amazing day there, love your dress!
Heather | x Highland Beauty
Author
Thank you so much Heather! 💖 It was so much fun and thank you, the dress is from New Look 😍 xx
Cheese is my achilles heel! This sounds like the most perfect day. To say that I’m uber jealous is an understatement ☺️
Author
Thank you! 💖 It was such a good day out, glad you appreciate the cheese! 😍 xx
Bexa this looks AMAZING!! Your press passes look so official and you look bloody gorgeous in that dress too! I giggled quite a few times in this post, especially your first event being cheesy and the chicken drumstick sheep. They’d have to be some pretty sizeable chickens! The pizza looks bloody gorgeous and I’d definitely get myself a pick n mix, I’m such a huge sucker for sweets! Also, I LOVE JAMES MARTIN!!! I can’t believe you got to see him in the flash. I have a weird crush on him and I have absolutely no idea why, probably because I love a man who can cook and he uses enough butter to make your heart stop in his food. I’m so glad you had the best day and I hope it was worth the long journey!
Alice Xx
Author
He he, I love your comment Alice, it really made me giggle 😂. James Martin is very likeable isn’t he, he’s funny and enjoyable to watch 😍. I am still waiting for Shaun to cook me something tasty from the demonstration though… 😂 Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you so much lovely, the dress is from New Look 😘💖 xx
What a fabulous day out! Those ‘cheesecakes’ look incredible, a great idea for a wedding!
I’m glad you enjoyed your day x
abbiejadewanders.co.uk
Author
Thanks Abbie! 💖 It was such an enjoyable day out, glad you liked the post 😘 xx
Omg so much fun! Your commentary on the photos of the cows and sheep definitely made me laugh (those sheep do look like drum sticks 😂) hahah!
Also how is that not a real cow?!!! 😱😱
So glad you had an amazing time, loved reading about it! 💕
Author
He he, thanks so much Huda! 💖 Glad you enjoyed the commentary 😄. The cow being milked is the fake one, it does look pretty real though ha ha 😝 xx
I can’t believe i’ve only just read this post after seeing your tweets about it! This looks like such fun day and you look so stunning!!!! Your dress is amazing! xo
Author
Thanks so much Lozza! 💖 It was such a fun day and aww thanks lovely, the dress is from New Look 😍 xx
It looks like you had a wonderful day! And the cows are super adorable xx
Author
Thanks Elisabeth! 💖 Glad you enjoyed the post 😘 xx
I loved this post! A cheese themed day out sounds perfect to me – I am obsessed with the stuff! I’d have cheese on everything if I could. The cows & sheep were really cute, I’ve never seen an orange sheep before though?😂
Soph | http://www.lovesoph.co.uk
Author
Thanks Soph 💖 Ha ha, yes it was the first time I saw an orange sheep too! 😂 Glad you enjoyed the post and love cheese as much as I do 😘 xx
You two were so lucky, what a great event! I practice the keto way of living and cheese is a mainstay for me. I am so booking a trip there next year. Thanks for sharing your adventure, I had never heard of it but now I want to go!
Author
Thanks Tammy! 💖 That’s so cool, I’d definitely recommend the cheese show! I hope you get to go next year 😍 xx
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely adorable and so much fun! Such beautiful photos, too – love the selfie of you and Shaun! Thank you for sharing your photos, so lovely to check out a cheese awards event via your post!
Sending you good vibes for a wonderful weekend!
Nati x | Blog: http://www.curatedbynati.com | Twitter: @curatedbynati
Author
Thank you so much Nati! 💖 That’s so sweet of you to say. I’m glad you enjoyed the post & photos and hope you have a fantastic weekend too! 😍 xx
It’s super cool that you’ve traveled all the way to Nantwich for the international cheese awards. It’s so cool that there are so many cheeses out there. The pizza looks DELICIOUS!
Oh man, the cheese cake looks crazy! Perfect for cheese lovers, haha. Glad you enjoyed your time out there – even though you got on a wrong train. AT least you made it home safely!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Author
Thanks Nancy! 💖 It was definitely a fun experience, he he the distance I’ll travel for free cheese! 😂 The pizza was super tasty. Glad you enjoyed the post 😍 xx
This looks absolutely like a fun day, the pizza looks amazing. I would have been startruck too. We recently went to a chilli and cheese festival but this looks like loads more and looks great fun.
Author
Ooh a chilli and cheese festival sounds awesome! Yay for cheese! 😍 Thank you Stacey, glad you enjoyed the post 💖 xx
The day sounds amazing, we have a cheese day here in South Wales but with no where near that amount of cheese. 450 stalls sounds a lot to get around so the place must have been huge. You are right about the sheep, they really do look like chicken drumsticks haha. Glad it was worth all the traveling and you had a lovely day.
Kate x
http://www.katebeautyhome.blog
Author
Thanks so much Kate! 💖 I couldn’t believe how much cheese there was! It was awesome! A cheese day sounds brilliant too 😍. He he, the chicken drumstick sheep were funny 😂. Glad you enjoyed the post 😘 xx
Seems like you had an amazing day! + great pictures! <3
Author
Thanks so much! 💖 xx
I’d seen this on your twitter and I was really intrigued, so it’s great that you have a post about it! The cheese awards sound like such an ideal first blogging event! Also, that fake cow looks so real!
Jas xx
Author
Thanks so much Jas! 💖 It was such a fun day, so glad you enjoyed the post 😍 xx
One thing everyone knows about me? I LOVE cheese. Not love it. LOVE IT. I eat it in every shape and form and if I was there I would definitely devour half of that tent! The entire festival seems like so much fun. I really would love to go! Hope you had fun as well.
Dorota
http://www.journalofdorota.com
Author
Thanks so much Dorota! 💖 Cheese is the best isn’t it! Glad you love it as much as I do 😍. I’d definitely recommend a cheese show if you get the opportunity, glad you enjoyed the post 😘 xx
I seriously can’t imagine a better blogger invite! Looks like it was well worth the trip. Thanks for sharing!
Author
Thanks Heather! 💖 Definitely! We had such a lovely day! 😍 xx
For some odd reason I’m not into cheese at all haha! Though, this looks like an amazing event 🙂 and it definitely sounds like you had a great (&cheesy haha) day!
lots of love, Jasmin
// littlethingswithjassy.com
Author
Thanks Jasmin! 💖 It was definitely fun and cheesy, ha ha! 😍 xx
Wow this looks like a fabulous day out and the weather looks great too! I love James Martin he is one of my favourite celeb chefs so very jealous you got to watch him cook! Your pictures as always are fabulous 😃 Great post Bexa so glad your first event was a cheesy one!
Melanie | http://www.frasersfunhouse.com
Author
Thanks so much Melanie! 💖 James Martin was so good, loved his live cooking demonstration 😍. He he, yay for cheesy events, glad you enjoyed the post lovely 😘 xx
Looks like you had a great day, what a great event to attend! You managed to get some great pictures too I would of definately been on that tractor getting a picture taken ☺
Emma x http://www.bookinggoodread.com
Author
Thanks Emma! 💖 It was such a fun day out and perfect for tractor posing photos! 😄 Glad you enjoyed the post 😘 xx
This looks amazing and like so much fun!
I love how vibrant all of your photographs are! It captures the event so well 💛
Author
Thank you so much Charlotte! 💖 Glad you enjoyed the post and photos 😘 xx
This seems like it was such a cool day! That pizza looks absolutely amazing!
Author
Thanks Paige! 💖 The pizza was delicious 😍 xx
Ohhhhhh my look. at all the amazing cheese! I just love cheese and this show sounds perfect!
Looks like you both had an amazing time too 🙂
Melissa 🌙🔮 |
Moonlight Mel
Author
Thanks Melissa! 💖 Cheese is the best!! It was such a fun and tasty day. Glad you enjoyed the post 😘 xx
I’m used to attending wedding shows most weekends, but I don’t think anything would come close to attending a cheese event. Yummy!! PS How pretty is your dress? x
Damo
https://www.the-true-me.co.uk
Author
Thanks Damo! 💖 Cheese is the best, it was such a lovely day! Aww and thank you, you are so sweet! 😍 xx
Looks like this was a fab day full of cheese 😍
Author
Thanks Katie! It was awesome! 💖 xx
Bexa! It’s so exciting you got invited as press! Congrats lovely! The event looks like so much fun.
Em ~ http://thisisemsworld.com
Author
Thanks so much Em! 💖 I was really impressed with the press pass, never had anything like that in my life he he 😄 xx
I live in Manchester and ashamed to say I’ve never been here but making a note in my diary for next year after reading your post. Me and John love cheese. Sean Wilson always has a stall at the Manchester Markets. Looks a great day out.
Author
Thanks Elaine! 💖 That’s so cool, I never knew Sean Wilson made cheese! Hope you visit next year, it’s such a good day out 😘 xx