Caerphilly

Today I'd like to tell you about a cheese and a castle which share the same name, and that name is Caerphilly. It is in fact a small town in the suburbs of the Welsh capital, Cardiff, with a population of 30,000.

Now firstly, the castle. It is the biggest castle in Wales, and the second biggest in the United Kingdom after Windsor Castle in London. Most of it was built way back between 1268 and 1271 and is a fine example of a concentric design. This means that it is like a multiple castle, with at least two sets of walls to protect the main central area. It was built by a chap called Gilbert de Clare, an anglo-norman lord who wanted to protect himself from the ambitions of a local prince called Llywelyn, and I'll spell that for you l-l-y-w-e-l-y-n. Through the years it was involved in various revolts and civil wars, and indeed during the English cilil war one of the towers was damaged to the extent that today it leans even more so than the famous 'Leaning' tower of Pisa, in Italy. Today the castle hosts many fun events and family days out, as well as many theatre productions.

Caerphilly, as I mentioned before, also gives its name to a type of hard, white cheese. Although it wasn't originally made in the town it was sold in the central market and this is how it got its name. So what's it like? Well, as I said before it's hard and quite crumbly, that is to say it easily breaks into small pieces. It has a mild taste but is unusually salty. Many people believe this is because it was made specifically for the local coal miners who lost an awful lot of salt from their bodies during their long working hours. It was also popular with the cheese makers because of the short time it takes to mature – usually between 7 and 10 days. This meant that they could earn money before the producers of the rival cheese makers across the Bristol Channel in England.

So, if a town is famous for a castle and cheese, what can it do to attract tourists and visitors? Why, organize the Big Cheese festival of course. Held in July over a weekend, 80,000 people come to see the mix of street entertainers, traditional costumes, music, dance, and anything and everything representing the culture and traditions of the town. And best of all – it's completely free!