13 Aug 2018
The World Cheese Awards will open for entry on Wednesday 5 September, with organisers, the Guild of Fine Food, expecting a record-breaking 3,500 cheeses to be judged in Bergen, Norway on Friday 2 November.
Dedicated only to cheese, with no other dairy products judged, the World Cheese Awards is the largest cheese-only competition on the planet and will this year form part of a brand new festival, Matnasjonen Norge. Taking place at Bergen's iconic Grieg Hall, the 31st edition of the awards will be set against the backdrop of Norway's finest food and drink, including highlights such as Kraftkar from Tingvollost, which took the World Cheese Awards' top prize in 2016.
As the international cheese community gathers, entrants from over 30 different countries will be looking to showcase their cheese on a world stage, hoping to land a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Super Gold award. An epic celebration of all things cheese, the World Cheese Awards will bring together over 230 buyers, retailers, writers and makers from every corner of the globe, to judge every entry in a single day and ultimately crown this year's World Champion Cheese.
John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, organisers of the World Cheese Awards, explains: “With 30 years now under our belt, we're very excited to be visiting Norway for the first time, in partnership with HANEN, to stage the largest cheese-only event that the world has ever seen. This global celebration of cheese leaves a lasting legacy each and every year, for its hosts as well as its winners, and we feel incredibly proud to be taking a headline slot at Matnasjonen Norge, as the country salutes its farmers, producers, chefs and retailers. With cheeses from six continents on their way to Bergen this year, we'll be bringing a truly international edge to the festival, but I feel confident that Norway's fantastic cheesemakers will be grabbing a few gongs along the way.”
The World Cheese Awards is open for entry from Wednesday 5 September until Friday 28 September, unless the entry cap is reached before this date – early entry is recommended. Producers can enter online at www.gff.co.uk/wca.
The World Cheese Awards judging will take place on Friday 2 November 2018, forming part of Matnasjonen Norge, which will run from 2-3 November at the Grieg Hall in Bergen.
ENDS
For further information, please contact any of the following:
Sam Brice at Freshly Ground PR
+44 (0) 7961 635960
Amy Brice at Freshly Ground PR
+44 (0) 7717 893123
Tortie Farrand at the Guild of Fine Food
+44 (0) 1747 825200
World Cheese Awards
A firm date in every cheese lover's calendar, the World Cheese Awards has been bringing together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers, consumers and food commentators worldwide for three decades, in a celebration of tradition, innovation and excellence in cheese. It's the biggest cheese event in the world, attracting over 3,000 entries in 2017 alone from 35 different countries, which were judged by 230 experts from every corner of the globe.
Judges work in teams of three to four, identifying any cheeses worthy of a Bronze, Silver or Gold award. They look at the rind and the body of the cheese, its colour, texture, consistency and, above all, its taste. Each team then nominates one exceptional cheese as the Super Gold from their table. These 66 cheeses are the best in the world and are judged a second time by the Super Jury of 16 internationally recognised experts, who each select a cheese to champion in the final round of judging. The Super Jury, representing all four corners of the globe, then debates the final 16 in front of a live consumer and trade audience, before choosing the World Champion Cheese live on WCA TV.
Matnasjonen Norge
Matnasjonen Norge is a brand new consumer and trade event, taking place on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November at the Grieg Hall in Bergen. Featuring a food festival, conference sessions, presentations and tasting tours, the event will give the country's producers and chefs a platform to showcase their food and drink and shine a spotlight on the quiet culinary revolution that has taken place in Norway over recent years.
Founded by HANEN, an organisation which champions the best that the Norwegian countryside has to offer, with support from Norway's Minister of Agriculture and Food, Jon Georg Dale, and the Bergen city government, the festival is set to feature respected industry experts, celebrity chefs and a wide range of artisan producers, bringing hundreds of Norwegian foodservice professionals, buyers, retailers and consumers to Bergen this November.
