It was difficult to believe the noise levels as Members gathered at the club!! Everybody seemed to be so excited …. although how could they not be excited …. the thought of their chosen Pot Luck dish for supper, then to be followed by a ShottandArmstrong Cheese Tasting Special!

The bar was busy …. thank you to Alan and Elizabeth Hickman for their sterling service …. and it took a lot of ship’s-bell ringing to gain any semblance of order. Supper was served.

In fact, we had all made our prior choices from a Fish Pie, Chicken Curry or Vegetarian Shepherds/Cottage Pie (Musing out loud …. what is the Vegetarian name for a Shepherds/Cottage Pie? Might it be an Allotment Pie?). And how delicious they were …  and … as usual, there was plenty, so you could have seconds and taste the ones you hadn’t chosen! .

All followed by a choice of three delicious home-made desserts and cream or custard. On both courses, the lovely “Pancakes R’ Us” ladies exceeded even their own very highly-set standards. Well done and Thank You.

Again it took lots of bell-ringing to get people to stop talking long enough for Jane and Paul to get a few words in about the fun to follow. There was even heckling from some quarters – “Get on with it!”. Teams were “organised” (it was a bit like pushing fog up a steep hill with a sharp stick!), and so the show commenced. Jane started each round with a “Cheesy Fact”.

A team member was blindfolded. A taster portion of cheese was then brought out and the type, country and source animal, together with a personal score out of 10 was written down on a scorecard. The rest of the team then had their own pieces of cheese, and similar questions to answer, as well as writing a description and the opportunity to play a Joker Card.

Although a little hesitant at first, the teams rapidly got into the swing of things and much laughter was heard and many stories were overheard. After 6 rounds, so 6 different cheeses, the scores on the doors were totalled. Really you needed to be there to know who was in which team, but in case you absolutely need to know who won ……

• o   The most highly scored cheese was Roquefort, followed by a Cheddar from Rudgwick in Sussex called Sussex Charmer.
• o   The cheapest cheese was a Gouda, the most expensive was the Roquefort.
• o   The Cheesy Cheesy Cheap Cheap team were the winners, not least because they played both their Jokers perfectly to gain extra points.
• o   The Mickey Mouse team came a respectable second, and both teams won a box of chocolates for their troubles.
• o   Mention must be made of the Stinking Archbishops, the Cheesy McCheese Faces, the Old Goats, and the Mousetrap Gang. Without you lot taking part there would be no losers!!

Seriously, it all seemed like lots of fun, and all 28 members carried on chattering as the tables and chairs were quickly rearranged. So much noise ……..