Fruit and cheese, it's show time!

Includes mini podcast with host and broadcaster Nigel Barden

Fruit growers gathered recently at the Kent County Showground to look at shiny new tractors, trailers and mechanical pickers while handing out ribbons and rosettes to the most lustrous and giant-sized apples and pears. It’s a fun event to attend, meeting enthusiastic growers, machinery nerds, and fertiliser sellers. Here are some images from the day and two quick podcasts I recorded with Nigel Barden, the popular broadcaster known for his recipes shared on radio shows hosted by Simon Mayo, who is currently working at Greatest Hits Radio.

Award winning apples and cups at the National Fruit Show

Nigel often works as an event host, and in October compèred the World Cheese Awards in Trondheim, Norway. Around 4,500 cheeses from 43 countries were sliced, cut and nibbled by around 300 judges. Ultimately, they named Nidelven Blå, a Norwegian blue cheese made by third-generation farmers from Gangstad Gårdsyteri, the best in the world - above camel and yak cheeses! The cheese is made with pasteurised cow’s milk and animal rennet and matured for six to nine months.

Badges similar to the stickers on award winning food and drink

The awards are organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the same people who manage the Great Taste Awards, and the results of which can spotted on tasty food and drink products with their black and gold-starred stickers.

Nigel Barden and cheese makers at the World Cheese Awards. (Photos, Guild of Fine Food. Berre Haakon Borgen)

Listen to Nigel sharing his impression of both awards and what he thinks of the state of farming in the UK, how we can support food producers and the joyful World Cheese Awards.

Fruit: See who was top of the crop, click National Fruit Show.
Cheese: For the full list of winners, click World Cheese Awards.
World’s Best Cheese: Click Gangstad Gårdsyteri and Guild of Fine Food.

COP28 climate talks put food on the menu

Example. of mezze to be served at COP28 in Dubai

Culinary diplomacy is making waves at the upcoming COP28 environment and climate meeting. While 'meeting' is perhaps not strong enough a description for the vast gathering of 80,000 climate activists, politicians and NGOs