This Dutch cheese pride is the third-best in the entire world!
We already wrote about the winner of the first prize at the World Cheese Awards last month. But there is even more fantastic news to report about these awards, because third place went to a Dutch cheese! Bravo!
We were absolutely delighted that cheesemakers and wholesaler Van der Heiden Kaas pointed us towards their impressive achievement, because Dutch craftsmanship naturally makes our hearts beat (vicariously) with pride. And this really is big news, folks, because this goat cheese won third place out of more than four thousand (!) entries…
The best of both worlds
This is a cave-aged cheese made from goat’s milk. The company’s various cave-aged cheeses (they make them from both cow’s milk and goat’s milk) fall under the name Eminence Grise, and are the love children of two countries that are true cheese nations. What makes them special is that they are produced in the Netherlands from Dutch milk and then further affinéd (refined and matured) in a French cave, where the natural aging climate is optimal, resulting in a full, unique flavor.
Strong flavors in balance
The prize-winning cheese in question is the Tomme Chèvre Grise au Bleu; a special goat cheese with blue veins. Oof, that must be delicious! International Sales Manager Diederik Slieker says: ‘We are incredibly proud of this result. We secretly already knew that Van der Heiden Kaas makes delicious cheese. But we could never have dreamed that our Eminence Grise would become the third-best in the world. These awards are a wonderful recognition of the craftsmanship we practice every day and our search for ways to provide our customers with the tastiest, most distinctive cheeses.’
So we wholeheartedly say: congratulations! And we’re hurrying to one of the points of sale as soon as possible, because we absolutely have to taste this winner! If you live in Amsterdam, you can visit Kef. Live outside the capital? Ask your local specialty cheese shop for this delicious cheese.
Read also:
- Which toast or cracker goes best with your cheese and charcuterie board?
- 3 things you didn’t know about goat’s milk
- Angry cheesemakers: our cheese really is better than chicken nuggets!
