Say cheese for an artisanal legend

Hosts can sweep the boards this Christmas by wowing guests with artisanal cheeses crafted by maker and distiller Charles Martell & Son, whose pungent creation Stinking Bishop is a sure way to liven up festive gatherings by delighting many and deterring others.

- MAISHA FROST

Washed in perry, a fermented juice from a special pear variety grown on the Gloucestershire-based business's Hunts Court Farm, the Bishop's delicate creamy texture and nutty hints are in spectacular contrast to its pong. Its historic name, referencing a native pear and a bad tempered local, still finds fame having featured in Wallace & Gromit's The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.

But while that’s all marketing gold, Royal Warrant holder Martell’s production of seven other cheeses and four brandies is extraordinary too, collectively embodying powerful themes of heritage, survival, environmental protection and revolution.