Looking for the best cheese festivals in the UK? Here’s a list of all the cheesey players at the top of their game…

Grated, melted, baked or sliced, on a cracker, or in a sarnie, preferably with Marmite: I lurrrrve cheese.

It just makes everything taste better. Shame about those calories though. But there’s only one C word we need to talk about at Cheese Festivals, isn’t there?

CHEESE!

The usual way to indulge in an appreciation for cheese would be to invest in a cheeseboard or to take a sneaky wedge from the fridge, but I reckon it’s time we all take our love one step further, by dedicating a whole weekend to the wonderful world of Wensleydale, Camembert and Brie.

Oh, and Stilton too.

Throughout the year and across the UK, cheese lovers unite to share in the glory of the gouda stuff, try out new flavours and spend a guilt-free weekend doused in the smelly stuff.

Welcome, to the wonderful world of the cheese festival in the UK.

8 Top Cheese Festivals in the UK

Check out these delicious cheese festivals to get in on the delicious cheesy action in the UK. Don’t forget the wine!

1. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Festival

29th May 2023

Basically, you roll a big, round, Double Gloucester cheese down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire and run after it.

Apparently the cheese can reach speeds of upto 70mph so it’s quite the challenge – the person who crosses the finish line first, wins the cheese.

Simple.

This cheese festival is a world famous super popular event, where over 5000 people turn up, but thanks to the old Health and Safety, they now have to roll replica cheeses.

Sad times.

Bank Holiday Monday in May

---

2. The Great British Cheese Festival

last weekend of every September

A bit of brie with your Roman ruins?

The Great British Cheese Festival is where history meets halloumi.

Every year, thousands flock to Cardiff Castle at the end of September as over 100 artisan cheesemakers churn out 450 British and Irish cheeses.

Aside from tasting and buying at this cheese festival, you can also learn how to matchmake your favourite cheese with the perfect drink, discover how it’s made and munch as you meander around the historical grounds.

Find out more: The Great British Cheese Festival last weekend of September

---

3. Cheese Fest

To be confirmed for 2023

Fromage fans are in luck with this cheese fest because it doesn’t just take place in one location, but has already toured over 17 cities with 140 cheese varieties.

They usually cover Bournemouth, Exeter, Colchester, Kent and Leicester, and tickets for the one day event cost just £3.

At Cheese Fest you can taste test the UK’s top traders and pick up all your favourite flavours.

Find out more: Cheese Fest

---

Read more on my cheese love

My Cheese Feast at Les Refuse Des Fondus in Paris

---

4. Artisan Cheese Fair

To be confirmed for 2023

For the hardcore Manchego lovers and dedicated buyers of blue, the Artisan Cheese Fair is as hot as the inside of a Halloumi fry – and it’s crowned the country’s largest cheese fair.

Around 70 cheesemakers bring out the big cheesy guns over the first weekend in May in an East Midlands cattle market and often bring some of the rarest varieties around.

Talks from industry experts mean you can leave having learnt how to cook with cheese, make your own and successfully navigate the world of dairy goodness.

With 300 types of cheese on offer as well as cakes, beer, chutneys etc., you may want to skip breakfast before attending.

Find out more: first weekend of May, Artisan Cheese Fair

---

5. The Cheese and Chilli Festival

To be confirmed for 2023

Bringing two of the best foods together, the creators behind the Cheese and Chilli Festival are taking this to six locations in the south of England: Basingstoke, Christchurch, Cheltenham, Guildford, Swindon and Winchester.

One for all the family, you can expect the usual tastings and cooking demonstrations alongside pig racing and magic shows. Your £6 ticket will also get you in to see the chilli eating competition and a pretty exciting man vs food challenge. All good fun for one of the best cheese festivals around.

Find out more: The Cheese and Chilli Festival

---

6. Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival

10th – 11th September 2022

Dorset’s Sturminster Newton, aka the ‘vale of little dairies’, has been a major player in the creamery scene since the early 1900s and shares some of their old school knowledge each year at the local cheese fest.

Giving you a slice of goodwill with your cheese, this event is all about raising money for charity and is completely run by volunteers. Tickets only cost £5 – well worth it for a great day out!

Find out more: Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival

---

7. Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival

October to 7-10, 2022

The official home of Wensleydale, the Yorkshire Dales make up the beautiful backdrop of this cheesey event.

It’s a new festival bringing a week-long programme of cookery classes, cheese-making workshops and drink-pairing demonstrations to the area in September. Despite a big chunk of the event taking place in Hawes at the Wensleydale Creamery, the whole region runs events making for a stinking good time.

Find out more: September, Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival

---

8. New Wave Cheese Project

To be confirmed for 2023

Did you know that cheese is undergoing a revolution in London?

The people behind the New Wave Cheese Project claim the latest wave of ‘urban cheesemongers’ are pushing the culinary boundaries. To show exactly what they mean, they’re hosting a 3-day event in the grounds of London’s Geffrye Museum with exclusive, never-before-eaten cheeses.

They’ll bring 25 of the city’s best churners to talk new cheesy trends, provide top tasting and perform demos.

Find out more: New Wave Cheese Project

---

Cheese festivals in the UK

So, how about that for a round up of the best cheese festivals in the UK? So many to go to right?

Cheese festivals are a brilliant way to try as much cheese as possible in a short time – and to experience and try the latest and greatest fromages.

Keep calm and cheese on!

---