● Extremely creamy with a washed rind and a layer of olive-stone ash running through it, Olavidia has a hint of goatiness and a lingering finish. It is, according to judge Jason Hinds from Neal’s Yard Dairy, ‘a cheese that stole my heart. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s seductive, pillowy and comforting.’
● Produced by Quesos &
Besos – which translates as Cheese and Kisses –a family-run business in Andalusia, Olavidia beat entries from 38 countries, judged by 250 cheese experts, including Good Food’s magazines editor Keith Kendrick. Silvia Peláez, head cheesemaker at Quesos & Besos, which has a team of just six, says, ‘We’ve been making cheese for less than five years, so we never imagined we could win the biggest prize in cheese so soon.’
● Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, all entries were judged in Oviedo, Spain, with the final shortlist appraised in front of a live audience.