Norwegian blue cheese takes 2023 World Champion Cheese crown

Held in Trondheim, Norway, the world’s largest cheese-only event featured record-breaking 4,502 entries from 43 countries. A panel of 264 international cheese experts - including critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, journalists, broadcasters, and others - came together to taste and assess each cheese to decide which ones were worthy of a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Super Gold award. 

Through the judging process, the cheeses were whittled down to 100 Super Golds, from which 16 finalists were put forward to be re-judged by an International Super Jury for the World Cheese Award to determine an overall winner. The international Super Jury judging the final stage of proceedings consisted of 16 cheese experts from across the globe, including Cathy Strange from Whole Foods Market in the USA, Peter Mårtensson from Swedish retailer Möllans Ost, Mansi Jasani from The Cheese Collective in India, Jon Thrupp from Mons Cheesemongers in the UK, and Aki Sakagami from the Cheese Professional Association in Japan. The final tasting was held before a live audience and also broadcast online.

Among the 16 cheeses, there were two from the UK, three from Italy, two from the Netherlands, two from Switzerland, two – incidentally, by the same maker – from Germany, and single cheeses from India, Austria, Belgium and host country, Norway.

Nidelven Blå, entered by Norwegian cheesemaker Gangstad Gårdsysteri, is made just two hours from the centre of the host city and is named after river Nidelva, which runs through it. The dairy was founded by Astrid Aasen and Perry Frøysadal (pictured, right) 25 years ago, as the first authorized cow dairy farm in Norway. The cheese itself is a semisoft blue mould cheese made with pasteurised cows' milk and aged for six to nine months. It has been recognized at previous World Cheese Awards, winning Best Norwegian cheese in 2019, and gaining a Super Gold in 2020. This is only the third time a Norwegian cheese has won the top gong, following previous wins in 2016 and 2018.

Maren Gangstadt, general manager of Gangstadt Gårdsysteri, commented: “This means so much to us. We’re a small dairy farm based just two hours from here, so this happening on our home turf means a lot, and having all of the crew from the dairy here adds an extra spark to it. This cheese was made in January so it’s about 11 months old now and it’s our best seller. It got a Super Gold in the 2019 World Cheese Awards as best Norwegian cheese, reflecting the work that’s gone into maintaining the quality and consistency.”

Super Jury Judge Finbar Deery, head of retail at Sheridans, Ireland, said: “What I loved most about this cheese was the interplay between the milk and the blue flavours, so it's not getting barrelled over by the penicillin. The texture was the first thing that hit home, it has a creamy dense fudginess. It's a reasonably bitter cheese as well, we don't appreciate bitterness in cheese, when you have such a rich texture, the bitterness comes through and it keeps the whole show on the road.”

The 16 finalists were:

The top 16 Super Gold cheeses:

•  Sinodun Hill from Norton and Yarrow Cheese, United Kingdom. Soft, pasteurised goats' milk cheese matured for 1 to 3 weeks. (Championed by Kelsie Parsons, Canada)
• Old Amsterdam Goat from Westland Kaasexport, Netherlands. Semi-hard, pasteurised goats' milk cheese matured for 6 to 9 months. (Championed by Peter Mårtensson, Sweden)
• Goustal La Bergere from Société des Caves, France. Soft, pasteurised sheeps' milk cheese matured for 6 weeks to 3 months. (Championed by Catherine Fogel, Denmark)
• Wigmore from Village Maid Cheese, United Kingdom. Soft, thermised sheeps' milk cheese matured for 5-9 weeks. (Championed by Svein Erik Backlund, Norway)
• Parmigiano Reggiano 30-39 Months from Nazionale Parmigiano Reggiano Rastelli Fratelli, ITALY. Unpasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 30 to 39 months. (Championed by Davide Fiori Guffanti, Italy)
• Holland Delta, 1 Year Old from Van der Heiden Kaas, Netherlands. Pasteurised cows’ milk cheese matured for 1 year, with a sweet flavour derived from a secret rennet. (Championed by Mansi Jasani, India)
• Eleftheria Brunost from Vivanda Gourmet, India. Pasteurised cows’ milk cheese matured for 0 to 2 weeks. Handmade by cooking indigenous pasteurised cows' milk whey & cream in a traditional vessel resembling a wok. (Championed by Cathy Strange, USA)
• Eberle Würzig Seit 5 Generationen from Dorfkäserei Muolen, Switzerland. Hard, unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese matured for 8 months. (Championed by Débora Pereira, France)
• Deichkäse Gold from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz, Germany. Hard, unpasteurised organic cows' milk cheese matured for 12 to 18 months. (Championed by Georgina Yescas, Mexico)
• Kärntnermilch Mölltaler Almkäse Selektion 50% FiT. from Kärntnermilch, Austria. Hard, pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 12 months. (Championed by Aki Sakagami, Japan)
• Lamucca Di Castagno from Romagna Terre, Italy. Pasteurised cows' milk cheese aged with chestnut leaf powder for 3 to 6 months. (Championed by Patrick McGuigan, UK)
• Baliehof Houtlandse Asche Kaas from Baliehof Kaas En Zuivelboerderij Jabbeke, Belgium. Hard, unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese matured for 3 months. (Championed by Suzy O'Regan, South Africa)
• Müller-Thurgau Rezent from Käserei Müller-Thurgau, Switzerland. Hard, washed-rind, pasteurised cows' milk cheese matured for 11 months. (Championed by Jon Thrupp)
• Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri, Norway. Pasteurised cows' milk blue cheese matured for 11 months. (Championed by Finbar Deery, Ireland)
• Pirano from La Bufalara, Italy. Semi-hard, pasteurised buffalo milk cheese matured for 3 to 6 months. (Championed by Evert Schonhage, Netherlands)
• Michel from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz, Germany. Unpasteurised cow’s and goats’ milk cheese matured for 14 to 16 months. (Championed by Ana Belén González Pinos, Spain)

Regional winners

Today (October 30), the Guild of Fine Food also announced the best regional cheeses. Harbison from Cellars at Jasper Hill was named Best American Cheese.

Best American Cheese – Harbison from Cellars at Jasper Hill (USA). e. A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised cows’ milk cheese, wrapped with a hand-harvested spruce bark, the cheese is made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 6 weeks to 3 months. 
Best Australian Cheese – C2 from Bruny Island Cheese Co. (Australia). A hard, raw cows’ milk cheese. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 6 to 12 months. brunyislandcheese.com.au
Best Austrian Cheese – Kärntnermilch Mölltaler Almkäse Selektion 50% F.i.T. from Kärntnermilch (Austria). A hard, pasteurised cows’ milk cheese. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 12 months. 
Best British Cheese – Sinodun Hill from Norton and Yarrow Cheese (United Kingdom). A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised goats’ milk cheese, with a Geotrichum rind. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 1 to 3 weeks. 
Best Canadian Cheese – Alexis de Portneuf La Sauvagine from Saputo Dairy Products Canada (Canada). A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised cows’ milk cheese with a supple rind. Made with animal rennet and matured for 2 to 6 weeks.
Best French Cheese – Le Goustal la Bergère from Société des Caves (France). A soft, pasteurised sheeps’ milk cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 6 weeks to 3 months.
Best German Cheese – Michel from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz (Germany). A hard, raw cows’ and goats’ milk cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 12 to 18 months. 
Best Greek Cheese – Truffeta from D. Kissas Bros & Co. (Greece). A feta-style, pasteurised sheeps’ and goats’ milk cheese with summer truffle. made with animal rennet and matured for 3 to 6 months.
Best Irish Cheese – Mount Leinster Clothbound from Coolattin Cheddar (Ireland). A raw cows’ milk farmhouse cheddar. Made with animal rennet and matured for 14 months. 
Best Italian Cheese – Parmigiano Reggiano 30-39 Months from Nazionale Parmigiano Reggiano Rastelli Fratelli (Italy). A hard, raw cows’ milk PDO cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 30 to 39 months. 
Best Japanese Cheese – Tokyo Brown Cheese from Cheese Stand (Japan). A pasteurised brown cheese made from cows’ whey and milk and matured for 0 to 2 weeks. 
Best Latin American Cheese – Morro Azul from Pomerode Alimentos (Brazil). A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised cows’ milk cheese, wrapped with oak bark. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 2 to 6 weeks.
Best Netherlands Cheese – Holland Delta – 1 Year Old from Van der Heiden Kaas (Netherlands). A hard, pasteurised cows’ milk Gouda. Made with a ‘secret’ animal rennet and matured for 9 to 12 months. 
Best Norwegian Cheese – Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri (Norway). A blue pasteurised cow’s milk cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 6 to 9 months. 
Best Portuguese Cheese – São Jorge PDO 4 Months from LactAçores (Portugal). A semi-hard, raw cows’ milk PDO cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 3 to 6 months.
Best South African Cheese – Simonsberg Gouda 6 Months from Lactalis South Africa (South Africa). A pasteurised cows’ milk cheese Gouda. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 6 months.
Best Spanish Cheese – Soft cheese Capricho Homenaje from Formatgeria Granja Rinya (Spain). A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised cows’ milk cheese. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 0 to 2 weeks. 
Best Swiss Cheese – Eberle würzig seit 5 Generationen from Dorfkäserei Muolen (Switzerland). A hard, raw cows’ milk cheese. Made with animal rennet and matured for 6 to 9 months. 
Best Ukrainian Cheese – Tverdyy vytrymanyy z pazhytnykom from Zinka (Ukraine). A hard, pasteurised goats’ milk cheese with dried fenugreek. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 6 months. 
Best Cheddar Cheese – Mount Leinster Clothbound from Coolattin Cheddar (Ireland). A raw cows’ milk farmhouse cheddar. Made with animal rennet and matured for 14 months.
Best Le Gruyère Cheese – Le Gruyère AOP Premier Cru – Châtonnaye from Cremo (Switzerland). A hard unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese made with animal rennet matured for more than 10 months. 
Best New Cheese – Tokyo Brown Cheese from Cheese Stand (Japan).
A pasteurised brown cheese made from cows’ whey and milk and matured for 0 to 2 weeks. 
Best Smoked Cheese – Nero Fumè from Latteria Moro di Moro Sergio (Italy). A blue, pasteurised cows’ milk cheese, smoked and flavoured with black tea Lapsang Souchong. Made with animal rennet and matured for 6 weeks to 3 months. 
Best SCA Member Cheese – Sinodun Hill from Norton and Yarrow Cheese (United Kingdom). A soft, mould-ripened pasteurised goats’ milk cheese, with a Geotrichum rind. Made with vegetarian rennet and matured for 1 to 3 weeks. 
The Ann-Marie Dyas Award for Best Artisan Cheese – Presented by The Fine Cheese Co. – Lamucca di Castagno from Romagna Terre (Italy).
A hard, pasteurised cows’ milk cheese aged with chestnut leaf powder. Made with animal rennet and matured for 3 to 6 months.
Best Female Cheesemakers – the cheesemakers of Gangstad Gårdsysteri (Norway) led by Maren Gangstad and Astrid Aasen for Nidelven Blå. 
Exceptional Contribution to Cheese was awarded to Gunnar Waagen from Tingvollost for his contribution to raising the profile of Norwegian artisan cheeses.