Golden Cross wins Best British Cheese at World Cheese Awards 2018

Photo credit: Tim Johnston Photography.

Golden Cross from the Golden Cross Cheese Company has been named the Best British Cheese, sponsored by the Academy of Cheese, at the 31st edition of the World Cheese Awards in Bergen, Norway following a record breaking 3,472 entries being judged in a single day at the city’s iconic Grieg Hall.

Produced in East Sussex, this log shaped and lightly charcoaled goat’s cheese achieved a Super Gold rating and made the final 16 alongside this year’s top cheeses. Other honours around the UK went to Celtic Promise from Caws Teifi Cheese, which picked up the Best Welsh Cheese trophy, sponsored by The Abergavenny Creamery, and Arran Blue from the Island Cheese Company, which was named Best Scottish Cheese.

Visiting Norway for the first time this year to form part of the brand new food festival, Matnasjonen Norge, the World Cheese Awards judged entries from over 40 different countries on Friday 2 November. Nine hours of judging later, the Super Jury named Fanaost, made by Norwegian cheesemaker, Ostegården, World Champion Cheese 2018, after the aged gouda stood out at every stage of the blind tasting process.

With a total of 12 Super Gold, 53 Gold, 84 Silver and 93 Bronze awards going to entries from Britain this year, the World Cheese Awards has once again provided an internationally recognised seal of approval for many of the UK’s cheesemakers. Among the other winners bringing awards back the UK are a Super Gold winning Cornish Blue from the Cornish Cheese Co, a Gold winning Corra Linn from Errington Cheese and a Gold winning Abergavenny British Soft Goat’s Cheese from The Abergavenny Fine Foods Co.

Records were broken across the board this year, as more nations than ever before entered cheeses into the world’s biggest cheese-only event. Representing 41 different countries, entries made their way by boat, truck, train and plane via 12 consolidation points around the world, from places including Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the USA. 235 judges from 30 countries then tasted, nosed and graded cheeses from six continents, giving Bronze, Silver, Gold and Super Gold awards to worthy entries.

As 3,472 eventually became 16, the crowds then watched on as the International Super Jury debated the world’s top cheese. Made up of the finest palates from the international cheese community, this year’s panel featured cheese makers, cheesemongers, buyers, chefs, retailers and writers. Judges including José Pizarro, critically acclaimed Spanish chef, Cathy Strange, global executive coordinator for Whole Foods Market in the USA, Claus Meyer, co-founder of Noma in Denmark, and Nick Tsioros, owner of Olympic Cheese in Toronto, all put forward their chosen cheeses live on World Cheese TV, before crowning this year’s World Champion Cheese.

For more information about the World Cheese Awards, visit www.gff.co.uk/wca.