I was out with our eight year old daughter MilliCal this weekend getting Valentibne cards and groceries before the Big Storm hit, and I went to a place with a great variety of cheeses so I could get something unusual.
I found Wallace and Gromit Wensleydale, which I had to get:
(It looked exactly like the picture on the right).
A friend said that it was typical marketing tie-in, but I heard an interview with Nick Park in which he said that they used the name in the first W&G short because of the way it let them move Wallace’s mouth, and that the mention caused people to buy the cheese, bringing the company that made it back from the rim of financial disaster. The story is repeated at the IMDB site for a Grand Day Out:
[quiote]The creators made Wallace say “Wensleydale” because it made his face look nice and toothy. What they did not realize was that the cheese factory where Wensleydale cheese is made was on its last legs and was about to declare bankruptcy. Happily, this film’s success brought the factory back from the brink.
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So I suspect this is as much a “Thank You” as a tie-in.
By the way, the cheese (which for some reason I thought a variety of blue cheese, which it turns out it’s not) is crumbly but very good and mild. MilliCal loved it.
Yes? Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were talking to me. I’m Mr. Wensleydale.
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I’ve had a cranberry Wensleydale before at Thanksgiving which was immensely popular. The flavor and texture seems to lend itself to adding berries that are both sweet and tart. Don’t remember if there was any tie in to Wallace and Grommit, though.
Oh Wow! My wife’s family is of the biggest importers of Wensleydale (and all specialty cheeses) in the U.S. (located in Boston too, your cheese came from us). My wife is friends with the management and she organized a tour that went to England to see their factory a few years ago).
They sent my 3-year old daughter a whole box of Wallace and Gromit themed stuff a few weeks ago. I was just looking at it last night.
My husband and I just watched The Curse of the Were-Rabbit on DVD and one of the features talked about this and showed the creamery and the owners. The company was on its last legs and then Wallace and Gromit became a big hit and suddenly everyone wanted Wensleydale, which saved the company from financial ruin. Heck, I’d put their pictures on packaging too for that.
According to the first Stinking Bishop link on Google, the milk for the cheese comes from a specific breed of cow of which only 450 exist in the world (not counting bulls). Only two farms produce the milk used in the cheese, the primary of which has only 25 cows. I’d imagine they’re more or less at peak production. (It sounds like a great cheese, btw–I’d love to taste it. Perry…mmmmmmmm!)
Actually, they feared the success. The Stinking Bishop makers are so small, they couldn’t increase production. The producers asked permission for the aromatic Stinking Bishop cheese to be used to help Wallace out in a pinch in the film. The factory has only two employees. According to Wikipedia, the name of the cheese comes from a man named Bishop who apparently had a temperamental personality (“Stinking Bishop.”)
I ordered some Wensleydale around the time The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was released in theaters. The order was never charged (too much on my credit card?), but I’m going to order some today, I think. Cheese, Gromit?