Wine and Cheese in The Cheddar Valley

Experience Somerset's culinary delights. Tour vineyards, enjoy local lunch, and taste authentic Cheddar cheese. Depart from Bristol for a day of sustainable gastronomy and scenic beauty in the countryside. First, find the Asda car park. That’s it—the day just got brilliant. Wave goodbye to the city as you board a minibus and head out for a day filled with culinary treats. The tour minibus leaves from central Bristol—that’s your transport for the day. Now you can relax and think about food and wine as you motor through the bucolic Somerset countryside. The first stop takes you to an innovative, ecological vineyard with views over the Chew Valley Lake. There you will learn about the techniques for planting and growing their vines, at the same time sipping and appreciating a couple of glasses from the vineyard. Then it’s on to lunch at The Pony Chew Valley. The food is all produced locally, with fruit and vegetables grown in the kitchen gardens—there will be a tour of the gardens and their cookery school from the man himself, owner Josh Eggleton (or Tim the exuberant gardener if Josh is busy!). This is a destination tour in its own right, but you won’t be stopping here, there’s an afternoon of outings on the menu. Head off to the village of Cheddar. It’s an enchanting village and you will have time to wander and explore before taking a tour of a rather special dairy—the only dairy that produces Cheddar made in Cheddar, and they have some pretty wonderful cheeses for you to sample. The tour finishes off in the Yeo Valley, at the Sutton Ridge Vineyard. Celebrate the end of the day with a tasting of 3 wines before heading back to Bristol in a somewhat soporific state.