What a great week for cheese this has been. As those of you who are in the know will be aware, the World Cheese Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, have been taking place up at the NEC in Birmingham. With more than 1,000 sq m of cheese displays and over 2,700 entries from all over the world. It is a truly global event, a veritable cheese Olympics!

I was invited to be a lead judge on one of the tables with three Spanish judges from the Canaries. A lady from a deli in Liverpool and a freelance journalist, sampling everything from smoked cheese, goats’ cheese to ewes’ cheese. Also, lots more in between to find the world’s greatest cheese. The champion of champions, the Big Cheese of all Big Cheeses. We got to sample some amazing products.  However, I loved a black waxed Italian dolcelatte, called Grand Noir from Elite Imports Ltd. It actually went on to become supergold. It’s not every day you come across a dolcelatte quite so creamy and delicious with the perfect balance of texture and flavour. Bellissimo I think sums it up. Like I say, a great week for cheese.