Cheese takes the cake at weddings

CUT THE CHEESE: Cheese is growing in popularity as an alternative to fruitcake at weddings.

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A wedding cake made entirely of stacked cheeses has become the centrepiece for some Canterbury couples looking to tie the knot.

Canterbury Cheesemongers co-owner Sarah Aspinwall said the wedding cheese was a growing trend overseas and, in New Zealand, was requested mainly by couples returning from their OE.

"I guess some people don't like traditional fruitcakes very much and perhaps have a real passion for cheese," she said.

"It is a delicious thing to have at the end of a big feast, rather than something sweet."

The cake is made by stacking an assortment of round cheeses to resemble a traditional cake, and is served with crackers and fruit.

Ms Aspinwall said she first saw a wedding cheese five years ago at a Queenstown wedding, where the couple had a giant cake of Stilton cheese.

"We still get people telling us they went to that wedding and how wonderful and spectacular it was," she said.

Christchurch mother Pat Fear said she was surprised when her daughter, Melissa Hunter, decided on a wedding cheese for her February wedding in New Brighton.

"I was a bit shocked because I was looking at these beautifully iced cakes and I was quite excited about choosing something with really pretty bits on it," Ms Fear said.

Ms Hunter was living in London when she found the nuptial cheddar on a British website and thought it suited her unconventional wedding plans.

The wedding cheese surprised guests, but Ms Fear said it was popular and suited the style of the wedding. "It was a much better thing than a conventional cake in the end - much more enjoyable and much more interesting."

Ms Apsinwall said a wedding cheese cost between $400 and $700, depending on whether imported or New Zealand cheeses were used. The Press