With "The Good Food Guide" saying last year that British restaurants are better than their French counterparts, with its editor Elizabeth Carter saying "I have just come back from France and I spent the whole time wondering why it is that Britain has a repution for poor restaurant food. France's restaurant scene is in crisis, but Britain's goes from strength to strength" and English wines beating their French counterparts (and those from other countries) to win competitions in recent years, with two English vineyards - Nyetimber and Camel Valley - winning gold medals at the 2010 International Wine Challenge, the French hopefully though there would be a bit of a respite from this culinary pounding they have taken from the ancient enemy across the English Channel (although the French are, of course, used to suffering embarrassing defeats at the hands of their British neighbours).
But they hoped in vain, because now it's emerged that British blue cheeses are outselling their French counterparts for the first time.
The French may pride themselves on the diversity and range of their cheeses (though Britain has more native varieties of cheese than France has) but it looks as though British shoppers are starting to fall out of love with Gallic cheese.
Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket (though, in another French defeat at the hands of the British, Tesco will soon overtake French supermarket Carrefour as the world's second largest after WalMart), said it had sold 16 per cent more British blue cheese than French blue cheese over the last 12 months.
Consumers are increasingly embracing the likes of Blue Wensleydale, Yorkshire Blue, Blacksticks Blue, and Shropshire Blue all year round rather than just over the festive period.
Wensleydale is also the favourite cheese of Wallace in the animated BBC comedy Wallace and Gromit short films.
British blue cheese conquers the French
Stilton: not just being eaten at Christmas, according to sales figures
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
18 Dec 2010
The Telegraph
It's enough to make a Frenchman choke on his Roquefort. Sales of British blue cheeses are outselling their French counterparts for the first time, according to Britain's biggest food retailer
The French pride themselves on the diversity and range of their cheeses, but it would appear that British shoppers have learnt to embrace home-made varieties with a greater passion.
Sales of British blue cheese, which for many meant no more than a taste of Stilton once a year on Christmas day, have rocketed this year, according to Tesco.
The supermarket said it had sold 16 per cent more British blue cheese than French blue cheese over the last 12 months.
Consumers are increasingly embracing Blue Wensleydale, Yorkshire Blue, Blacksticks Blue, and Shropshire Blue all year round, rather than just a slice of festive Stilton.
The supermarket's sales figures are backed up by market data from Kantar Worldpanel, the research company, which said imports of French blue cheese fell by 1 per cent over the last year, but sales of British blues, across all outlets, increased by 4 per cent.
The British blue cheese market now amounts to annual sales of £33 million.
The success of British cheeses is part of a steady trend for shoppers to buy more local food, and for British producers to seek European protected status. Stilton is now accorded the same protection as Parma Ham and champagne.
Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board said: "British Blue Cheeses – of which there are more than 70 named types – continue to perform well and it’s great to see how the British consumer is looking to buy more locally produced cheeses in their supermarkets and local outlets.
“Our blue cheeses are increasingly being acknowledged as amongst the best in the world."
telegraph.co.uk
But they hoped in vain, because now it's emerged that British blue cheeses are outselling their French counterparts for the first time.
The French may pride themselves on the diversity and range of their cheeses (though Britain has more native varieties of cheese than France has) but it looks as though British shoppers are starting to fall out of love with Gallic cheese.
Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket (though, in another French defeat at the hands of the British, Tesco will soon overtake French supermarket Carrefour as the world's second largest after WalMart), said it had sold 16 per cent more British blue cheese than French blue cheese over the last 12 months.
Consumers are increasingly embracing the likes of Blue Wensleydale, Yorkshire Blue, Blacksticks Blue, and Shropshire Blue all year round rather than just over the festive period.
Wensleydale is also the favourite cheese of Wallace in the animated BBC comedy Wallace and Gromit short films.
British blue cheese conquers the French
Stilton: not just being eaten at Christmas, according to sales figures
By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
18 Dec 2010
The Telegraph
It's enough to make a Frenchman choke on his Roquefort. Sales of British blue cheeses are outselling their French counterparts for the first time, according to Britain's biggest food retailer
The French pride themselves on the diversity and range of their cheeses, but it would appear that British shoppers have learnt to embrace home-made varieties with a greater passion.
Sales of British blue cheese, which for many meant no more than a taste of Stilton once a year on Christmas day, have rocketed this year, according to Tesco.
The supermarket said it had sold 16 per cent more British blue cheese than French blue cheese over the last 12 months.
Consumers are increasingly embracing Blue Wensleydale, Yorkshire Blue, Blacksticks Blue, and Shropshire Blue all year round, rather than just a slice of festive Stilton.
The supermarket's sales figures are backed up by market data from Kantar Worldpanel, the research company, which said imports of French blue cheese fell by 1 per cent over the last year, but sales of British blues, across all outlets, increased by 4 per cent.
The British blue cheese market now amounts to annual sales of £33 million.
The success of British cheeses is part of a steady trend for shoppers to buy more local food, and for British producers to seek European protected status. Stilton is now accorded the same protection as Parma Ham and champagne.
Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board said: "British Blue Cheeses – of which there are more than 70 named types – continue to perform well and it’s great to see how the British consumer is looking to buy more locally produced cheeses in their supermarkets and local outlets.
“Our blue cheeses are increasingly being acknowledged as amongst the best in the world."
telegraph.co.uk
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