The world’s best cheese is coming from Norway

Hold onto your hats, cheese lovers! The world’s best cheese for 2023 has just been crowned, and the winner is a stunner. This year’s World Cheese Awards saw over 4,000 cheeses from across the globe judged by a panel of experts, buyers, retailers, and food writers. Imagine being in that room – the smell must have been something else!

So, who took the top spot in this cheesy showdown? It was Norway’s very own Nidelven Blå! This handmade, semi-solid blue cheese hails from just two hours outside Trondheim, where the awards were held. It beat out 292 other Norwegian entries to claim the throne.

But Norway wasn’t the only nation to impress. Belgium’s Baliehof Houtlandse Asche Kaas, a hard, unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese, snagged second place. The Swiss wowed us with Eberle Würzig Seit 5 Generationen in third, and India’s Eleftheria Brunost made a surprising splash by coming in fourth.

Shockingly, neither France nor the UK, known for their proud cheese traditions, made it into the top 10 this year. But don’t fret, British cheese fans – there were plenty of UK cheeses that still made the list.

But that’s not all. Here are the 10 best cheeses in the world right now:

1. Nidelven Blå from Gangstad Gårdsysteri (Norway)

2. Baliehof Houtlandse Asche Kaas from Baliehof Kaas En Zuivelboerderij Jabbeke (Belgium)

3. Eberle Würzig Seit 5 Generationen from Dorfkäserei Muolen (Switzerland)

4. Eleftheria Brunost from Vivanda Gourmet (India)

5. Müller-Thurgau Rezent from Käserei Müller-Thurgau (Switzerland)

6. Kärntnermilch Mölltaler Almkäse Selektion 50% FiT. from Kärntnermilch (Austria)

7. Michel from Rohmilchkäserei Backensholz (Germany)

8. Holland Delta, 1 Year Old from Van der Heiden Kaas (Netherlands)

9. Old Amsterdam Goat from Westland Kaasexport (Netherlands)

10. Parmigiano Reggiano 30-39 Months from Nazionale Parmigiano Reggiano Rastelli Fratelli (Italy)

Surprisingly, France and the UK, known for their legendary cheeses, didn’t make it into the top 10 this year. But don't worry, British cheeses still had a strong presence overall.

For all the cheesy details and to see which British cheeses made the list, check out the full list. Happy cheese tasting!