Who Grooved my Cheese?

Why is this block of cheddar wearing ear buds? It’s listening to All You Need is Cheese, a series of podcasts about Canadian cheese. Fermented curd connoisseur, Ian Jones, criss-crosses our vast country talking to “artisans, experts and cheese lovers from coast to coast.” Whether you’re plugged in with iTunes or MP3s, you can catch his monthly 20-minute show at the link above. They even have a Facebook Page.

Unlike Monty Python’s Cheese Shop, this site is fully stocked and open all hours. You won’t hear excuses like the van broke down or the cat ate the content. And there’s no annoying bouzouki player either. Tune in anytime to hear about vegetarian-friendly Black River Cheese from Ontario’s Prince Edward County or learn what goes into BC’s chef Jon Cash signature dish, Three-Cheese Polenta Lasagna. Celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy is cooking up poutine with fresh cheese and old-world Mediterranean cheeses get a new-world spin right here at home.

Fun titles like Feta Compli hook you in. Interesting content will keep you listening. Want some of that Little Qualicum Island Bries? The written summaries contain links to the cheesemakers, so you can order any product that interests you.

While countries like Italy, France and England have made a name for themselves with their diverse cheeses, Canada is usually pigeonholed with Cheddar. Thanks to the Internet, we can discover our national offerings and have them delivered right to our door. How diverse are we? December’s podcast will look at party platters and wine pairings in time for the holidays.

To refresh your memory on the wide world of cheese, here’s John Cleese and Michael Palin in what is perhaps the funniest cheese-related comedy piece in history. This skit proves that for a good time, all you need is cheese.