The 2015 World Cheese Awards is now open for entry at www.gff.co.uk/wca through Oct. 18. This year’s competition is set to attract a record number of cheese-makers, according to The Guild of Fine Food, organizers of the event.

The World Cheese Awards, which takes place from Nov. 26 to 29, is dedicated only to cheese – no other dairy products can enter these awards. It is an opportunity for small artisan producers to spotlight their cheese on a world stage, said the organizers.

This year the show is anticipating close to 3,000 entries, which will be judged at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham’s NEC, according to John Farrand, managing director of The Guild of Fine Food.

The World Cheese Awards judging will commence on Nov. 26. All entries will be judged and whittled down to the top 60 in one afternoon. Then the best 16 cheeses will be voted for by a final judging panel later in the afternoon, when the 2015 World Champion Cheese will be crowned.

Over 70,000 people are expected to visit the BBC Good Food Show Winter and will have the opportunity to witness the finest collection of cheese under one roof.
During the rest of the BBC Good Food Show, from Friday, Nov. 27 through Sunday Nov. 29, there will be cheese tours hosted by the Guild of Fine Food and BBC Radio 2’s Nigel Barden, where visitors will be able to learn about cheeses from across Europe, and then tutorials held by cheese experts, Charlie Turnbull, Patrick McGuigan and John Farrand – in matching cheese with beer, cider and wine.

Tickets are available from BBC Good Food Show.

The World Cheese Awards is open for entry from Friday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Oct. 18.

SOURCE: The Guild of Fine Food