UK mozzarella claims stretch the truth, say Italian rivals

ITALIAN mozzarella producers are challenging their British counterparts to a taste-off after being stung by claims that British-made cheese is better than their own.

There is a small but growing band of buffalo mozzarella farmers in the UK, who stand to benefit if a no-deal Brexit strangles the import of food from the Continent.

The gauntlet was thrown down by the Italians after one proud producer of buffalo mozzarella in Hampshire claimed that his cheese was not just equal to the original, but superior.

Jody Scheckter, 69, a South African former Formula One world champion, rears about 1,000 buffalo at Laverstoke Park Farm, near Overton, Hants.

“Our mozzarella is very consistent and very good – it’s better than much of the Italian stuff,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “It is 100 per cent organic and our animals spend more time in the fields than buffalo do in Italy.”

It does not take long for fighting talk like that to reach Campania, the region around Naples that is the home of Italian buffalo mozzarella making.

“Seeing as Jody Scheckter is used to races, we invite him to a grand prix of tasting to establish for consumers who produces the best mozzarella,” said Pier Maria Saccani, the head of the consortium of buffalo mozzarella producers in Campania.

Britain is the fourth biggest export market for Italian buffalo mozzarella, with trade worth about £12million a year.

Mr Scheckter bought his first herd of buffalo in 2005 and now produces 150 tons of mozzarella. The fresh cheese is sold to Waitrose and won a gold medal at the World Cheese Awards in 2015.