As the festive season is set to feel a little different this year, The Wensleydale Creamery has revealed that sales of Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and fruit cake have rocketed as the nation enjoys this famous Yorkshire delicacy. A classic in Yorkshire, which sits proudly amongst the long-standing traditions of God’s Own County, the increasingly popular food pairing is set to make an appearance on many tables this festive season.
The Wensleydale Creamery, the artisan cheese-maker based at Hawes in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, proudly champions the flavoursome match and has seen a doubling of sales of cake and cheese sales this year, directly from its online deli.
According to Google trends data*, searches for Christmas cake recipes have doubled this year from 2019. Likewise, general searches for Christmas Cake have already seen top search results suggesting many Brits started to think about Christmas preparations earlier this year.
Wensleydale Creamery commissioned research to determine attitudes to traditions and regional festive pairings and found:
- 48% of Brits say they are really open to finding new Christmas traditions, with nearly a quarter of Brits saying they would try something new like Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and Christmas cake (23%);
- 56% of UK adults admit that they have always eaten the same food at Christmas, however the research suggests Brits have a desire to try something new with over a quarter (28%) admitting that they find eating the same food every Christmas boring and repetitive;
- With nearly two in five (38%) saying that they can’t remember the last time they tried something new at Christmas, the Wensleydale Creamery is urging people to embrace a new festive tradition with its creamy, crumbly Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese being the perfect pairing to partner with rich, fruit cake this Christmas.
Sandra Bell of the Wensleydale Creamery, comments: “It is great to see folk are really championing the Christmas cake this year, we’ve seen a real buzz around recipes and buying online. Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and fruitcake is a renowned Yorkshire delicacy, with the creamy, crumbly flavour of the cheese complementing the rich, sweet fruit cake.
“In the spirit of trying something new, we want to encourage people up and down the nation to try the much-loved Yorkshire pairing of a slice of Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese with their Christmas cake. This is a tradition that dates back to the 19th Century and is a favourite all year round. We look forward to seeing the celebration and enjoyment of this festive treat across the UK this Christmas.”
*Google Trends data: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2017-11-01%202020-11-26&geo=GB&q=Christmas%20Cake,christmas%20cake%20recipe,best%20christmas%20cake