High rollers from the world of Cheshire cheese kicked off the city's inaugural Food and Drink Festival at the end of February 2002 with a Cheshire cheese rolling competition featuring some of the biggest cheeses in Chester. Renowned Cheshire Cheesemaker, HS Bourne, who still makes his cheese in the same way as his great great grandfather did 300 years ago, tested the strength of his cheese against several tough competitors. These include teams from two of the oldest Cheshire cheese retailers in the country, Chester's The Cheese Shop and Godfrey Williams of Sandbach. Lucky winners got a case of the new Chester Pilgrim Ale, the perfect accompaniment to Cheshire cheese. The Competition was a celebration of the fact that Cheshire, arguably one of the oldest cheeses in the world, has seen a huge revival in its popularity in recent years. While Cheshire may have traditionally suffered an image problem outside of the region, market share has climbed steadily over the past 12 months as punters realise that the pale, bland mass-produced cheese which often carries the Cheshire name, bears very little resemblance to the genuine article.