You’d think someone crazy enough to chase cheese down a hill would be a fan, right? Wrong. After winning this year’s Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling contest in Gloucestershire, UK, champion Josh Shepherd revealed his aversion to this particular dairy product. “I don’t really like cheese unless it’s melted, cheese on toast maybe,” he said, unsure of what he will do with the grand prize: a wheel of double Gloucester. “I’m doing it as it’s fun. I’ve done it and won and I’m really proud of myself,” Shepherd said in an interview with The Guardian.
Rebel cheese rollers staged their own unofficial event after health and safety fears caused the official competition to be cancelled in 2010. An 8lbs round piece of double Gloucester is chased 200 yards down Cooper’s Hill at Brockworth. After a year’s hiatus – when police warned against the use of a real cheese – the imitation lightweight foam cheese has been binned in favour of the genuine article.
Photo by SWNS.com
Nick D'Errico
Nick D'Errico was raised in an Italian family where he developed an appreciation for good food, a fear of flying bedroom slippers, and a love of cheese. He works as an editorial intern at Culture and currently studies writing and publishing (he wanted to be an engineer, but can't do math). In his spare time, he dons 40 lbs of padding and stands in front of rubber projectiles as a hockey goalie.
