The secret diary of a cheese and beer guy.

I have been asked why I have chosen to be the Secret Cheese and Beer Guy. "I mean what's the big secret? You've told me that you are writing about cheese and beer." or "Oh you just want to sound mysterious, like some sort of secret agent." or also "You'll never become a famous food and drink writer unless your name is out there" There is truth and honesty in secrecy. Anybody who really wanted to find out who I am could do so really easily, I am not hiding. I have no desire to sound like a secret agent; if you knew my surname you would understand. I am not looking for fame and fortune, and I especially don't want to be in a position where I may be compromised by companies giving me stuff to promote (though I am miles from this actually happening). I simply wanted this blog to be all about the cheese and beer that I encounter.  So on the cheese and beer! We have all, I am sure, been seduced by pre-sliced Emmental in the fridge, pulling a slic...

The September sun has reached its peak in the sky. The plough rests on its side. A very large, powerful horse, maybe a Suffolk Punch or a Shire, chomps at the rich grass by the hedgerow made lush by recent rains. A strong, tanned man unpacks his canvas knapsack revealing: a hunk of bread, an apple, a slice of cheese and maybe a pickled onion wrapped in grease proof paper. He also pulls out an earthenware bottle containing a pint of the local ale. This is, of course, how the "Ploughman's lunch" was born and since then it has been available in pubs all over the country. Except, it's not. Whilst this rural idyll paints a lovely picture linking us back to a time when life was hard but simple the concept of the "Ploughman's" as a pub lunch was invented by a canny marketing executive at The Milk Marketing board looking to sell more cheese. It is an invention of the 1960's not the 18th century. Being fair, there are a few references in literature to the lun...