As a cheese lover, this was something of a pilgrimage for me, one of my most anticipated stops of…read moremy trip to the UK. The sample room offered up 20 samples of divine cheese; pure bliss for me. We then went to the Kit Calvert restaurant for lunch. It was crowded and service was a bit slow and disconnected, such as we had no salt and pepper on our table and were ever asked about drink refills. The food, however, was amazing. I went with the full Cheese Experience (3 courses) while my husband had two. We went with two different cheesy starters, both delectable. I had the chicken with smoked cheese. The breast was perfectly cooked in a lake of cheese sauce, with the rosti beneath it (like a thin hashbrown) added a nice crunch. For my dessert course, we shared the ginger cheesecake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Neither of us are cheesecake people but we declared this the best we have ever had. It wasn't as sweet as American cheesecakes, and had a pleasant cragginess with ginger warmth as a complement. The ice cream was also better than what you find most anywhere in America--fresh and creamy. What a glorious meal!

Touring England with family, a 10 minutes drive from the Stow House, where we stayed the night, is…read morethis great little creamery rich in history. Cafe, gift shop, toilets, and lots of parking. I recommend Wensleydale Smoked Cheddar or the pineapple :)