Cheese meeting surrenders money

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In one of the most exciting cheese-based events of the year, politicians and their staff gathered in Parliament to raise money for charity by choosing four cheeses to be kite-surfed across the Channel to France.

Among the MPs drawn in by the pungent smell drifting through the corridors of Parliament this afternoon were Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, Lembit Opik and Labour's Celia Barlow.

The ten cheeses up for judging were a Red Leicester, West Country cheddar, a very soft brie, two types of goats cheese (hard and soft), a blue stilton, a creamy Lancashire, a Saval, and Barkham Blue and a Cornish Yarg.

MPs were invited to taste the best of British "cheese based art" by the Surbiton based 'Homage de Fromage Cheese Club'.

And the most popular four on display will then be taken to France to promote British cheese as well as raise money for two children's charities - the Shooting Star Children's Hospice and the Lebara Foundation, which helps protect deprived children around the world.

Robin Hutchinson, president of the cheese club said, "this is the latest in our celebrations of great British cheese and comes after the club built at giant version of the children’s game Mousetrap and created suburban skiing at Surbiton Ski Sunday.

"But the Voyage du Fromage is perhaps the most ambitious way in which we have put the spotlight on the wonderful taste and quality of British Cheese."

The winning cheeses will make their way from Surbiton to Dungeness as part of a 40 strong charity bike ride, where they will be handed over to kite surfer Rob Smith and his special designed cheese-conveying kite board.

He hopes to make it across the channel in time for a picnic on Sunday May 2 with representatives of the French cheese industry.

And Smith has his eyes on beating the current record of two hours thirty minutes and 43 seconds – a time set by a Frenchman

He said: "It was an obvious idea and a great way of demonstrating to the French our love of British cheese and our ability to raise money for worthy causes in the daftest way possible.

"I hope others will join in the fun either through the bike ride or by sponsoring me online."

Surbiton MP Ed Davey said the crossing would be the "serious event" of early May, and with a sizeable 8,966 majority he can probably afford to have one eye on the English Channel come (what is likely to be) election week.

Speaking against a soundtrack of patriotic British anthems, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman declared: "British cheeses should have their place in Europe".

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