Cornish Kern, an alpine-style cheese made by the UK’s Lynher Dairies Cheese Company, was crowned World Champion Cheese at the 30th annual World Cheese Awards. Organized by the Guild of Fine Food, the World Cheese Awards judging took place at London's Tobacco Dock on Nov. 17.
Lynher Dairies’ buttery medium-hard cheese, boasting a deep aroma and caramel notes, rose to the top among 3,000 entries, the Guild of Fine Food said. The 30th anniversary edition of the awards formed part of this year’s Taste of London Festive Edition and saw entries from a record-breaking 35 different countries.
“Visually stunning, with its standout dark rind and the quality of milk is really evident in this cheese,” said Cathy Strange, global executive coordinator for Whole Foods Market in the United States, during the final round of judging. “It has an amazing age and a complexity, which keeps on coming. This is a super cheese and I would be glad to have it on any table.”
The Cornish Kern was awarded 75 points out of a possible 80 by the Super Jury of 16 judges, just ahead of an Italian Blu Di Bufala made by Quattro Portoni Caseificio in second place with 69 points, the Guild of Fine Food said. In joint third were an Austrian Capellaro from Almenland Stollenkaese and a South African Dalewood Huguenot made by Dalewood Fromage, both scoring 67 points.
Although no U.S. cheeses were among this year’s “Super Gold” top 16, dozens of U.S. cheeses were honored with a Super Gold, Gold, Silver or Bronze award.
The U.S. cheesemakers earning Super Gold honors include:
- Carr Valley Cheese Company Inc. for its Shepherd's Blend
- Cellars at Jasper Hill for its Little Hosmer
- Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy for its Gold Hill
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. for its Point Reyes Bay Blue
- Saputo Cheese USA for its Kiss My Ash
- Sartori Cheese for its Sartori Reserve BellaVitano Gold
- Vermont Creamery for its Cremont
The U.S. cheesemakers earning Gold honors include:
- The Artisan Cheese Exchange for its Deer Creek The Fawn
- Cellars at Jasper Hill for its Oma
- Cypress Grove for both its Fromage Blanc and its Chevre Log
- Emmi Roth USA for its Roth Tomme
- Firefly Farms for its Merry Goat Round Spruce Reserve
- Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy for both its Red Cloud and its Funkmeister
- Lactography for its Churrinche
- Laura Chenel’s Chevre for its Ash-rinded Buchette
- Rogue Creamery for its Organic Rogue River Blue
- Sartori Cheese for both its Sartori Limited-Edition Extra-Aged Goat and its Sartori Reserve Black Pepper BellaVitano
- Saxon Cheese LLC for both its Big Ed's Gouda and its Saxony Alpine Style
- Vermont Creamery for its Coupole
