Cheesed of f !
Disgruntlement in Dorset after Oxfordshire cheddar-maker removes giant’s manhood
A CHEESE company has been criticised for depicting the Cerne Abbas Giant on its packaging without his most famous feature.
Locals in Dorset criticised the Oxford Cheese Company for ‘defacing’ the club-wielding giant on the label of its Cerne Abbas Man vintage cheddar.
They complained that emasculating the Cerne Abbas Giant was equivalent to ‘throwing paint over Nelson’s column’.
But the cheese company has suggested that the manhood may have been removed in an attempt to keep the image on the packaging from appearing too cluttered.
The criticisms come after the firm previously upset the people of Dorset by ‘culturally appropriating’ the chalk figure to help sell its cheese.
Residents in the village of Cerne Abbas say the Oxford Cheese Company has ‘made a mockery’ of its ancient fertility symbol.
Vic Irvine, head brewer at Cerne Abbas Brewery, which uses a picture of the giant in all his glory on its branding, said: ‘I think it’s abhorrent to castrate him .... We love our giant here and defacing him like this is like throwing paint over Nelson’s column... If you don’t like it, don’t use our giant.’
Alistair Chisholm, mayor of Dorchester, said: ‘That’s just wrong. The whole point is that he is depicted the way he is, which is what makes people come to see him.’ Referring to Dorset’s famous limestone arch, he added: ‘It’s like filling in Durdle Door and making it a solid block of rock. His member is what makes him magnificent.’
Local councillor Jill Hayes said: ‘The fact that they have chopped his bits off is very strange. It’s even stranger that they would use our iconic landmark instead of one of their own.’
The 180ft chalk man, who boasts a 35ft manhood, is one of Dorset’s most famous landmarks. The hillside figure is said to have been created by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th century as a tribute to Helith, their god of health.
It is seen as a fertility symbol and courting couples have been known to go there under the cover of darkness in the hopes of becoming pregnant.
Paul Watson, the cellar master for the Oxford Cheese Company, said yesterday: ‘The original owner of the company chose that image because it is so memorable...
‘I’m not sure exactly why he [the giant] isn’t whole on some of the cheeses, but I suspect it is to make sure the label doesn’t get too cluttered. On larger cheeses I think all of him is included.’