On its page, the competition organisation – Guild of Fine Food – announces that “a soft, spoonable sheep's milk cheese, made by a Spanish cheesemaker in Portugal, was voted the best cheese on the planet at the 'World Cheese Awards' 2024 ”.

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After 4,786 cheeses from 47 countries were judged, the buttery sheep's cheese from Fazenda do Pomar gathered the highest score from 240 judges from 40 countries, with experts in the cheese field, such as cheese technologists and evaluators, as well as retailers and buyers, 'chefs' and journalists.

“Made with raw sheep's milk and vegetarian thistle rennet (known as thistle), the winning cheese is usually consumed by cutting off the top and scooping out its almost liquid paste with a spoon,” says the organisation.

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The final of the 'World Cheese Awards', taking place for the 36th year, took place for the first time in Portugal, in the city of Viseu.

Guild of Fine Food director John Farrand said “Portuguese cheesemakers have made their country proud”. Quoted on his page, the person responsible added that the “World Champion cheese is typical of the central region of Portugal, extraordinary for being made with thistle instead of conventional rennet”.