Good Afternoon Cheesy1’s,

I want to take this opportunity and wish Juliet a wonderful retirement as she returns to her homeland of New Zealand. Juliet is responsible for providing me with the chance of becoming a Judge at the British Cheese Awards which I always look forward to. I know that she has handed the Awards over to the Royal Bath & West in its entirety and I will continue that role with Juliet in mind but the openness of the future as an exciting new chapter is about to unfold. Having met Juliet at a Discover the origins masterclass (Read More) and to see her passion first hand was a sight to aspire to funny, informal & extremely knowledgeable she strikes a balance between it all. Loitering intently at the end of the evening to talk to her was a highlight and the switching of contact details has meant we have kept in contact ever since that evening.

Now for those of you that don’t know who this lady; to put it simply she is The Cheese Lady who knows everything there is to know about cheese & creator of the British Cheese Awards. Spanning a cheesy career of three decades Juliet has carved a niche that would leave even the most basic cheese lover jealous. She writes for Speciality Food Magazine as the Cheese aficionado and she has her own website called The Cheese Web which is kept updated with all the travels and news in the cheese world. Juliet is also responsible for writing one of the best cheese books I have read, seen & used and it’s called World Cheese Book and it is available directly from the Cheese Web & on Amazon UK & Amazon USA. I have a copy at work which I use to show customers and a reference copy at home and it is a must if you are an avid cheese lover. The amount of information on cheese the book holds is superb not only about the cheese but also contains tasting notes & pairings.

To see the Cheese Lady in action there is a video below that comes courtesy of Guardian TV on Youtube starring Alex James from Blur who is also a cheese fanatic:

As you can see Juliet has met some very passionate and famous faces over time and her contacts span Globally across many countries. Extremely well travelled adds a very big advantage over most as she does cheese pairings across the world which means her cheese repertoire & cupboard is brimming. You can follow her on Twitter to keep up to date with her whereabouts.

Juliet is now moving from the Cotswolds to New Zealand to take a semi-retired life and to return to her home country, and of course she has vowed to explore the cheeses available close to her new home in depth. She champions local cheeses wherever she is so I’m sure that she will hunt them all down. I have been very fortunate to meet this lady on several occasions and I’m honestly going to miss her, I really do hope that our paths cross again at some stage in the future. The last time I saw her in person I didn’t even realise that it could possibly be the last but whenever I have seen her she always has given me some advice and her parting words have always been positive on my enthusiasm & passion towards my field.

Juliet I really want to thank you for opportunities and the doors you have opened for me and I wish you all the best in the future.

The Cheesy1

(The video featured is property of GuardianUnilimitedTV and I do not own any part of this video. The Feature image is owned by Juliet Harbutt)