A British cheese has been named the world's best cheese in a special ceremony in London celebrating all things dairy.
The Cornish Kern was given an impressive "World's Best Cheese" award on Friday (November 17), after hours of tasting as part of this year's World Cheese Award.
The accolade is the West Country’s third win in just seven years, further cementing the region's importance to cheese and dairy.
Crowned Supreme Champion, Kern is a very special cheese indeed. A hard cheese, firm to the cut but slightly flaky in the middle, it is buttery with caramel notes and a deep savoury aroma.
A longer maturing cheese than Yarg, it develops over sixteen months within its handsome black wax coating.
Originally derived from a Gouda style cheese, manufacturers Lynher Dairies add Alpine starter cultures to give it individuality and to create a close texture, resembling Dutch and French/Swiss cheese.
The flavour is one that you might associate with Comté or Gruyère, according to sellers.
Lyndher Dairies said in a tweet: "We are all lost for words...we'll find some in a while, but in the meantime 'wow' is going to have to do!"
The World Cheese Awards, held at Tobacco Dock in London, consisted of over 3,000 cheese entries from 35 countries.
There were 250 judges, and a Super Jury of experts decided on a top 16. The cheese buyer at Whole Foods Market, Cathy Strange, called the cheese “visually stunning.
“You can see the quality of the milk in this cheese and the complexity comes at you in layers and layers.”
