24 Oct 2018
As the World Cheese Awards prepares to visit Norway for the first time on Friday 2 November, organisers, the Guild of Fine Food have announced a record breaking number of entries into the competition, with more countries submitting cheeses than ever before. Over 3,400 cheeses will line up in Bergen's iconic Grieg Hall at 9:30am, a 15% increase on last year's record, all set to be judged in a single day before this year's World Champion Cheese is announced at 18:30pm, live on WCA TV.
With cheese coming from nations including Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the USA, the planet's biggest cheese-only event will be judging entries from 41 different countries. The judging team will also represent more countries than in any previous edition of the competition, as cheese makers, cheesemongers, buyers, chefs, retailers and writers from 30 countries come together to hand out the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards.
This truly international celebration of all things cheese will be set against the backdrop of Norway's finest food and drink, forming part of Bergen's brand new festival, Matnasjonen Norge, nestled between the North Sea and the Seven Mountains that frame the city.
Record breaking numbers
- 3,472 entries into 31st edition of the competition
- Entries representing 41 different countries, from six continents
- 235 judges from 30 countries, from Japan and Israel to Canada and Kazakhstan
Some cheesy challengers
- A soft goat's cheese from Kenya, made with banana leaf ash
- An Australian feta made with river mint
- A mixed milk cheese from Italy, made using donkey, cow, sheep and goat milk
- A hard cow's milk cheese from the UK, containing elderflower
- A Belgian semi soft cheese, with a layer of ground coffee
Big cheeses on the panel
- José Pizarro, critically acclaimed Spanish chef
- Claus Meyer, co-founder of Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Roland Barthélemy, president of the Guilde des Fromagers in France
- Kris Lloyd, head cheesemaker at Woodside Cheese Wrights in Australia
- Carlos Yescas, cheesemonger and author from Mexico
Getting behind the rind
- Tickets available to watch the World Cheese Awards judging live
- Cheese tours in the judging hall, run by World Cheese Awards judges and tutors from the School of Fine Food
- Some of Norway's top cheesemakers exhibiting during Matnasjonen Norge
The World Cheese Awards judging will take place on Friday 2 November 2018, forming part of new Norwegian food festival, Matnasjonen Norge, which will run from 2-3 November at the Grieg Hall in Bergen.
ENDS
For more information about the World Cheese Awards, gaining priority access to results and obtaining video footage, 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-only event in the world, with no yoghurt, cream, butter or other dairy able to enter, championing the world's best cheesemakers, from tiny artisans to global heavyweights.
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 78 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, Bård Hoksrud, 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.
