Renowned South Australian Artisan Cheesemaker Kris Lloyd, owner of Kris Lloyd Artisan Cheese and Woodside Cheese Wrights, will this week head over to San Sebastian to represent Australia as the only Australian judge at the 2016 World Cheese Awards.
The World Cheese Awards will celebrate its 29th year in San Sebastián this year, which is the city’s tenure as European Capital of Culture.
The competition is strictly cheese only, with no other dairy products allowed. The World Cheese Awards will be the centrepiece event at the inaugural International Cheese Festival being held between 16-18 November 2016. This global celebration of cheese will attract consumers and tourists, as well as food professionals, buyers, and retailers.
Over 3000 cheeses from over 31 different countries are expected to line up before 266 judges from every corner of the globe. Judges include international buyers, retailers, writers and cheesemakers. The judging takes place over single day, thousands of entries are carefully prodded, sniffed and tasted in order to identify their worth as a Bronze, Silver or Gold medallist, before a final panel deliberates over the super gold winners to reveal the World Champion Cheese.
The appointment as judge is strictly invitation only. For the third year in a row, Kris Lloyd is the only Australian representative and the only South Australian ever to be involved in this prestigious event. “It is such an honour to be part of this brilliant competition. I am particularly keen on the judging process they use, it is by far the fairest and most transparent that I have been involved in. The day is exhausting as every single cheese needs your full attention, by the 60th or 70th cheese you do feel a bit cheesed out – I never thought I’d say that!“ said Kris Lloyd.
“I think it is vitally important that we have Australian representation at international competitions of this caliber, not just with cheese but other food products also. I will also be attending the awards as a South Australian Premium Food and Wine Ambassador,” said Kris Lloyd.
Kris has also entered her products in the competition and is very excited to be taking her Anthill Cheese to the World. “It is incredibly exciting to be taking something the rest of the world has not seen to these awards. It is an opportunity to illustrate how innovative we are in Australia – we don’t just copy European cheeses. Presenting new an original work is the cornerstone of my business philosophy. Anthill is simple yet effective – hand crafted small-batch chèvre that has been matured for seven days then topped with Northern Territory green ants. Indigenous to Australia, green ants add a slight crunchy texture but explode with a sherbert-like flavour; rich with citrus flavours and a little Zing at the end. I relish the opportunity to showcase our indigenous ingredients to the rest of the world!”
Managing Director of the Guild of Fine Food (organisers of the World Cheese Awards) John Farrand explains; “Our experts will be presented with the mammoth task of judging over 3,000 individual cheeses in San Sebastián, a record number, and there is so much excitement about the World Cheese Awards heading to Europe’s unofficial culinary capital this year. I can’t think of a better time to be taking the world’s largest cheese-only awards scheme to San Sebastián, as it enjoys its moment as European Capital of Culture. We’re all delighted to be giving cheese such a prominent place in the celebrations, alongside San Sebastián’s world class cuisine, which is only fitting given the exceptional artisan cheese-making of the Basque Country that brought us here in the first place.”
Find out more about Woodside Cheese Wrights via their website. And good luck Kris!
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