A panel of expert judges from the dairy industry judged the parmesan, which is distributed in the UK by Bradbury & Son and made by the Ferrari Dairy in Lodi, Italy, as the best of all the 3,230 cheeses in the competition. It has been stocked in Waitrose as own-brand organic Parmigiano-Reggiano and branded Ferarri Organic Parmigiano Reggiano for the past five years.
This year’s competition saw 300 categories in all, with competitors from 24 countries. Other winners at the event, now in its 114th year, included UK Supreme Champion which was won by a Red Leicester from Milk Link’s Taw Valley Creamery in Devon, and M&S, which scooped 14 gold awards in the retailer classes.
Richard Paul, show chairman, said: “We had record entries and the standard across the board was extremely high. Our panel of 140 judges really did have their work cut out to make their selections. But select they did, and Bradbury’s organic Parmesan is an extremely deserving Supreme Champion. It, and all the category winners and runners-up, can now feature a gold, silver or bronze International Cheese Awards label on-pack.
“We will now be working hard to educate consumers on what that logo means; that if they spot it, they can be safe in the knowledge that the product has been judged by experts as outstanding.”
George Paul, MD of Bradbury & Son, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve been in the cheese trade for 42 years and this is our first Supreme Champion. It’s a cheese with a character all of its own and a testament to the hard work, skill and dedication of the cheesemakers in Italy. We’re simply the front man for this magnificent product.”
Chloe Graves, cheese buyer for Waitrose, said: “We’re really pleased with this win, especially as it’s quite unusual for an overseas cheese to be awarded Supreme Champion. It really is a superb cheese and we’re delighted the judges at the International Cheese Awards have recognised that.”
Source: International Cheese Awards
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