Cheese carving

I mentioned in my last post that I'll be taking part in a cheese competition in January next year. The main focus of the event will be the creation of an elaborate cheese platter – a seriously elaborate cheese platter.

As part of my preparation, myself and a few others from the Mons family took a day long cheese carving course with the scarily talented William Hermer – ‘Champion de France de Sculpture sur fruits & Légumes 2012’ no less…

Here is some photographic evidence of what we got up to:

We carved a large amount of soap, mainly because it's cheaper than cheese and easy to learn on. This rose was the most credible thing that I managed.

Soap Rose

As the carnage below indicates, attaining even this basic level took a fair amount of practice.

Soap carnage

Having got to grips with the soap, I moved onto real cheese, in this example, Mimolette

Once I'd cleaned up the edges and put it on display in the shop, someone liked
it enough to pay money for it - I was pretty chuffed!

I also practised in the rind of a Tomme des bauges

Rose in the rind of a Tomme des bauges

And while I was doing this, some of the others in the group put together this bad boy - from bottom to top: Vully, Mimolette, Fourme de Montbrison, Tete de moine and Rigotte de condrieu.

Sculpted tower of cheese

So now I'm just trying to practise from time to time to keep my hand in, here's more Mimolette that I had a go on at home.

More Mimolette...

More pictures will be posted in the run up to the competion, and of course, if you have the burning desire to see a particular image carved clumsily into a piece of cheese, please let me know and I'll see what I can do...