The UK village that lost its cheese

The UK village that lost its cheese Loop Images/Getty Images The UK village that lost its cheese Cheddar has conquered the world, but it wasn't produced in its namesake English town for years. "We spotted a gap in the market for a traditional Cheddar made where it all began," Katherine explained from the small office adjacent to the couples' Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company dairy. Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company John and Katherine Spencer's Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company recently won a slew of awards at multiple cheese competitions According to professor Paul Kindstedt, who teaches a course on the history of cheese at University of Vermont, cheddar's origins go back to the 14th Century, when local cheesemakers implemented a process known as "scalding" before pressing the curds into a harder cheese. "The superior quality of the cheese caught the attention of wealthy Londoners who visited the renowned caves of Cheddar Gorge and dined on local cheeses during their visits," said Kindstedt. Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company The worldwide replication of cheddaring is one reason cheddar doesn't have protected designation of origin status "The combination of scalding and cheddaring opened the door for cheesemakers all over the globe, including in America, to produce a magnificent cheese," Kindsted said.