Lymeswold cheese (1982–1992) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

variety. Although many English cheeses are named after regions, Lymeswold's name was the result of a public competition to name it; the winning name may have been derived from an English place name

Wymeswold Wymeswold () is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is in the north of Leicestershire, and north-east of Loughborough. The village has a population of about 1,000, measured ...

. The cheese was a soft, mild blue cheese with an edible white rind, much like

Brie Brie ( ; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (itself from Gaulish ''briga'', "hill, height"), the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight gre ...

, and was inspired by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

cheeses. It was similar to non-branded cheeses sold as

Blue Brie Cambozola is a soft-ripened cheese specialty which is made of cow's milk. The blue cheese veins inside give this creamy cheese its very special flavor. History Cambozola was patented and industrially produced for the global market by the Ger ...

. At the time of its launch, it was hailed as "the first new English cheese in 200 years".Foods of England
/ref> For the export market, the cheese was branded Westminster Blue, because some non-English speakers had difficulty pronouncing the name Lymeswold.

Origins

In 1979 the

Milk Marketing Board The Milk Marketing Board was a producer-run product marketing board, established by the Agricultural Marketing Act 1933, to control milk production and distribution in the United Kingdom. It functioned as buyer of last resort in the milk market in ...

began discussions with the large dairy firm Unigate that led in 1981 to the restructuring of its processing and marketing activities under the

Dairy Crest Saputo Dairy UK, the trading name of Dairy Crest Limited, is a British dairy products company. It was created in 2019 when the Canadian company Saputo Inc bought Dairy Crest. Dairy Crest itself was created in 1981 as a spin-off of the Milk Marke ...

brand to use surplus milk production for making other dairy products. The initiatives that followed included the launch in 1982 of Lymeswold cheese. The name was derived from public competition to name the new cheese. It was at first produced at Cannington creamery in Somerset. The cheese's creation was hailed by Peter Walker, then Agriculture Minister, who said it would improve the

balance of payments In international economics, the balance of payments (also known as balance of international payments and abbreviated BOP or BoP) of a country is the difference between all money flowing into the country in a particular period of time (e.g., a ...

by replacing imports and becoming "one of our most successful cheese exports".

Rise and fall

The concept of Lymeswold was created by an advertising agency, Butler Dennis & Garland, in response to a brief from the Milk Marketing Board to make use of more milk. It was conceived after a review of upcoming types, where soft blue cheese seemed to be missing from the UK's indigenous repertoire. The village of Lymeswold was created as part of the brand idea. With heavy promotion and a very successful

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

ing exercise, initial demand for Lymeswold exceeded supply. It has been suggested that the Board then released maturing stocks before they were ready, which gave the cheese a reputation for poor quality. Certainly the initial success of the cheese did not turn into steady long-term sales. It was later subjected to strong competition from

Cambozola Cambozola is a soft-ripened cheese specialty which is made of cow's milk. The blue cheese veins inside give this creamy cheese its very special flavor. History Cambozola was patented and industrially produced for the global market by the G ...

, a German cheese, and eventually ceased production in 1992.

said at the time that it "could not sustain demand". John Withley, then the

restaurant critic A food critic, food writer, or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public. Terminology "Food writer" is often used as a broad term that encompasses someone who w ...

of the ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'', welcomed the news with "unfettered joy", saying it had always been "an artificial cheese".

Continued influence

The name Lymeswold has lived on as recurring jokes in ''Private Eye'', and for its reputation as a cure for herpes. It was also called Slymeswold.

References

{{Blue cheeses English cheeses Blue cheeses 1982 establishments in the United Kingdom 1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Products and services discontinued in 1992

Origins

Rise and fall

Continued influence

See also

References