The battle for the tastiest cheese in the Netherlands is heating up once again. A diverse and discerning jury has been assembled for the Gouda Cheese Awards, featuring culinary experts, passionate locals, and a shared love for cheese, craftsmanship, and the stories behind them.
The Gouda Cheese Awards is a unique and prestigious cheese competition in which consumers take center stage. Unlike technical evaluations, this competition is all about one thing: taste. The consumer panel tastes the cheeses and decides which ones advance to the finals. This year, the cheeses are competing in two categories: Goat Cheese 50+ Aged and Gouda 48+ Aged. In the final round, it’s up to the jury to choose the winners.
The grand finale will take place on Thursday morning, May 21, right in front of the Gouda Waag and next to the traditional Gouda Cheese Market. In this iconic setting, the finalist cheeses will be tasted and judged live, right in the heart of Gouda, the city of cheese.
Expert jury
The jury of the Gouda Cheese Awards consists of taste experts with strong ties to Gouda and its regional products. The jury chair is Mayor Pieter Verhoeve, mayor of Gouda and a great cheese lover. In 2021, he was inducted as Opper Waegemeester into the Guild of Honorary Waegemeesters, an honorary title that underscores his commitment to Gouda’s heritage and centuries-old cheese tradition.
New to the jury are Bas Erkens and Jan Haan
Bas Erkens is a culinary writer and editor at Foodies Magazine and Foodies Travel, the leading food platform for home cooks and foodies. His articles, recipes, and background stories focus on flavor, origin, and craftsmanship. He’s generally always hungry and is constantly on the lookout for interesting stories, the best restaurants, the most beautiful cookbooks, and the latest trends—both at home and abroad. His life motto? Cheese is life. During the finals, he’ll also put that love of cooking and tasting into practice. Bas will prepare a small dish on stage using one of the finalist cheeses. If you’re lucky, you might even get to taste this dish right there on the spot.
Jan Haan is a co-founder of Goudse Marokkaas, a raw-milk farmhouse cheese born from the idea that food can bring people together. The cheese combines traditional Gouda cheese-making with flavors inspired by Moroccan cuisine, representing a natural convergence of two culinary worlds that have coexisted in Gouda for decades. Developing the Goudse Marokkaas required years of experimentation with herbs, aging, and flavor balance, in close collaboration with local cheesemakers. The result is an accessible and characterful cheese that is both familiar and surprising, and that is appreciated for both its taste and the underlying idea of collaboration and mutual understanding.
Presentation
The final will be hosted by Dorotheé Beens. Born and raised in the city of stroopwafels, candles, and cheese, she is a familiar face at and around the Gouda Cheese Market. As a regular host, she knows better than anyone how to convey the story behind the cheese, with humor, knowledge, and a healthy dose of Gouda pragmatism.
This year’s co-host is Ry Fiere from Gouda, who grew up in the Green Heart and is a true foodie with a passion for cheese. With her natural curiosity and enthusiasm, she’ll take everyone on a journey into the world of cheese.
Tastings for and by the public
The finals of the Gouda Cheese Awards are open to the public and promise to be another lively and delicious event. Visitors can sample the cheeses while the jury reaches its decision live. The awards are presented in front of the audience. In each category, the winners receive a gold, silver, or bronze award and may market their cheese as the best in the Netherlands for a year.
