The World Cheese Awards will visit Norway for the first time this year, to form part of a brand new festival, The Norwegian Food Nation, taking place in Bergen on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November. In partnership with HANEN, an organisation which champions the best that the Norwegian countryside has to offer, the Guild of Fine Food will stage the planet's largest cheese-only competition at the iconic Grieg Hall in the heart of the city.
With more nations represented than ever before in 2017, this year's competition is set to grow once again, with a record-breaking 3,500 entries expected for the 31st edition of the awards. The world will be watching live on WCA TV as 230 experts from every corner of the globe judge all the entries in a single day, nestled between the North Sea and the Seven Mountains that frame the city.
Away from the awe-inspiring sight and smell of entries from six continents being nosed, tasted and graded, The Norwegian Food Nation will be shining a spotlight on the quiet culinary revolution that has taken place in Norway over recent years. Featuring a food festival, conference sessions, presentations and tasting tours, the two-day event will give the country's producers and chefs a platform to showcase their food and drink on a world stage.
Following the huge surge in interest for Norwegian cheese in 2016, when Kraftkar from Tingvollost was named World Champion Cheese in San Sebastián, this year's awards has been brought to Bergen with the support of Norway's Minister of Agriculture and Food, Jon Georg Dale, and the Bergen city government. Already designated as a UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy, Bergen is now preparing to host some of the world's top palates and food people for an epic celebration of all things cheese.
