Cheese and rolling a wheel of it down a very, very steep hill, just outside the city of Gloucester, England has become an annual tradition. At the edge of the scenic Cotswold region, lies the village of Brockworth. And just beyond the village stands the formidable Cooper’s Hill. And this is where all the action takes place.
EVERY YEAR HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RACE DOWN A STEEP SLOPE CHASING THE WHEEL OF DAIRY
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THE CHEESE WHEELS WEIGH 3.6KG EACH
The competition takes place on 29 May 2023 in Gloucester. The wheel of cheese weighs 3.6 kilograms ( 8l pounds), and it tends to travel at speeds of over 120 kilograms (80 miles) per hour.
The National Geographic reports that Immediately following this is a large crowd of people who aim to chase down the cheese wheels – racing styles include a sideways roll, attempting to run, but mostly falling over.
MAYBE SOME DUTCH COURAGE IS INVOLVED BEFORE THE RACE
Hoards of people as relatively sane people run at break-neck speed after a roll of cheese. Ridiculously high levels of injuries take place, but thankfully paramedics and ambulances are on site. On occasions, participants had had a pint or two before taking on Coopers’ Hill. Dutch courage, I suppose.
An ”’Cheese-Rolling Avenger” is on the roll and believes he has a number of dairy products in his discs in the 14 years of the competition. Anderson maintains that over the course of his racing career, he’s sustained injuries that include a concussion, bruised kidneys, and a broken ankle. In a past interview, the Brockworth hometown favorite said the race was (in his blood).
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“IT’S UNREALISTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH THE CHEESE”
“It’s not really realistically possible to catch the cheese,” Anderson said, noting the wheel can reach speeds as , the all-time cheese champ planned to auction off the winning wheel to benefit Joseph’s Goal, which funds research into the rare childhood developmental disorder non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, or NKH.
Presumably, Anderson has eaten little or none of his winnings. He does not like Gloucester cheese, or indeed any kind of cheese, except cheddar—a variety named for the village 64 kilometers or 40 miles to the southeast, at which there currently are no known hill-based cheese races.
The winner of this year’s women’s competition, Flo Early, 27, made a brief press appearance before continuing on to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
The sometimes slippery 182 metre (200 yards) course takes participants down the hill, has a steep 45-degree gradient, and what’s more, the ground is dangerously uneven.
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DOUBLE GLOUCESTER CHEESE GETS A ONE-SECOND LEAD
Double Gloucester is a hard cheese with a buttery flavor, and it gets a one-second head start.
There are two wheels of cheese – one for the ladies and one for men, differ in weight – the men’s block weighs roughly 36 kilograms (80 pounds). A less dangerous children’s race, which is uphill, uses a 1.8 kilometers, or a four-pound wheel.
Each race is over in a matter of seconds. The event was formerly part of an official “wake”—a local term for a festival. However, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Contest had an official sanction since 2010 because the increased number of visitors raised concerns about safety. For instance, crowds might block the ambulances needed to carry away competitors following the race.
THE FIRST CHEESE RUN BEGAN IN 1826
The first recorded Gloucestershire Cheese Roll happened in 1826, although the tradition is possibly older and may even once have had a purpose of some kind, although what that might have been is up for debate. Maybe part of a fertility rite? Something to do with livestock grazing? Who knows with the Welsh?
Over time, the Cheese-Rolling far eclipsed such other pastimes, drawing international participants and spectators alike, as well as at least one police warning to a cheesemaker suspected of intent to distribute.) In 2013, a fake cheese wheel had to suffice when 86-year-old Diana Smart, a longtime provider of the traditionally-crafted Double Gloucester, received word she might face liability for injuries. Real cheese was, however, back for the following race.
As in years past, in the 2018 race, no one actually caught the rolling cheese, which is considered impossible. And in time-honored fashion, people injured themselves.
But this event is not only for gents – for the first time since 2019, several dozen hopefuls literally threw themselves down a ridiculously steep hill in the west of England, as they tried desperately to catch up to… a seven-plus pound wheel of cheese. Food & Wine reported that after a pandemic-related hiatus, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake are again being hosted in the village and, for the first time ever, an AMERICAN woman who came away with one of the titles (and one of the wheels of Double Gloucester cheese that everyone was trying to grab).
The Independent mentioned that “the cheese is planned to be auctioned off to benefit Joseph’s Goal, which funds research into the rare childhood developmental disorder non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, or NKH.”
Presumably, Anderson has eaten little or none of his winnings. He does not like Gloucester cheese, or indeed any kind of cheese, except cheddar.
The winner of this year’s women’s competition, Flo Early, 27, made a brief press appearance before continuing on to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
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