Cheese that survives a 70mph hill run 'still tastes great'

The cheese maker behind the Double Gloucester used in the annual Cooper's Hill cheese rolling event says the prize still tastes "tremendous" despite reaching speeds of up to 70mph (112kmph).

Rod Smart makes the cheese by hand at his family-run farm 15 miles away in Churcham, Gloucestershire.

Each year, hundreds of people chase a 3.5kg wheel of the cheese down the steep hill near Brockworth, with the winner taking one home.

Smart said he has "no qualms about it being rolled down the hill, but I do wonder about the people who roll down the hill after it".

Cheese rolling at Cooper's Hill dates back to at least the early 19th Century and takes place during the late spring bank holiday.

Unofficial races organised by local enthusiasts draw competitors and spectators from around the world each year, all hoping to catch or follow the rolling cheese.

The winner of each race is given a 3.5kg wheel of Double Gloucester cheese, worth around £75.

Smart said the event is "as organic as the cheese that's rolled down it".

The Smarts have supplied the cheese for the event for decades, after inheriting the informal role when they took over the business.

They have been providing 11 wheels of cheese per event ever since.

It was Rod's late mother, Diana, who first brought cheese making into the family, after buying a small dairy business as a retirement project.

"She found this lovely little business that made beautiful cheese," said Smart.

"She'd never tasted cheese like it, and she said if I can make cheese like that, I want to be a cheese maker."

Diana began making the cheese in her 60s and continued into her 80s, later keeping a close eye on production even after her sons took over.

Smart said she would come in and "make sure we were doing it properly".

His wife Jo, who sells the cheese at markets, said Diana "was a force to be reckoned with".

The process of making each wheel involves hours of physical work before the cheese is pressed over several days.

Weight is gradually added until a total of almost three-quarters of a tonne is applied, forcing out the liquid whey.

"There's not many cheeses which would probably stand it, it shows how good and robust a double Gloucester is," said Smart.

The cheese is then stored in temperature-controlled rooms for at least five months to mature.

Despite the impacts of racing downhill, Smart said he does not worry about how the cheese performs.

He said the event is "as organic as the cheese that's rolled down it".

"I don't worry... because at the end of the day, if it does break up that's beyond anyone's control," he added.

Smiling, he said: "It only has to bounce and hit something at a funny angle, that's the same with everything which is coming down that hill."

Although he has never taken part in the race, Smart and his family run a stall each year on the road leading to Cooper's Hill.

There, they meet visitors who have travelled long distances to see the spectacle.

One woman came from the United States with her son just to watch the event, later buying him a smaller cheese after he took part in a children's race.

"Its amazing what people do to come to little old Cooper's Hill cheese roll," said Smart.

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