Virtual Cheese Awards 2022 extends entry deadline

The Virtual Cheese Awards, established in 2020 to celebrate British cheesemakers who were struggling in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now in its third year. 

And this week, the awards have extended the deadline for British cheesemakers to send in their entries to the 28th March 2022 to be in with a chance of winning a selection of unmissable prizes worth over £9,000.

Previously the 20th of March, this new deadline gives prospective winners an extra few days to get their entries in and have their cheese showcased by some of the biggest names in cheese.

An elite judging panel
This year’s judging panel consists of an eclectic mix of highly regarded cheese buyers, cheesemongers, and cheese experts. 

For 20022, the awards welcome cheese experts Hero Hirsh, Paxton & Whitfield, Perry Wakeman, Rennet & Rind, Bronwen Percival, Neals Yard Dairy, Morgan McGlynn, Cheese of Muswell Hill, Emma Young, Cheese Explorer, Nikki Phelp, Harvey & Brockless, Ruth Holbrook, The Newt and former Paxton & Whitfield head of wholesale, Jayne Hicken Botham, Dee Dairy and Terry Hudson to the judging panel. 

Moreover, some of the UK’s most respected cheese buyers, including Alan Kirby, cheese buyer at Booths, Chris Dawson, senior cheese buyer at M&S and Russell Haggata, technical category manager for cheese at Morrisons, will be on the panel, offering their expertise in quality and innovation.

The prizes
This year’s winner of The Virtual Cheese Awards Best of British cheese will receive:

Free editorial features and digital coverage in Speciality Food magazine and Great British Food magazine worth £4,000 The opportunity to have the winning cheese showcased at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair by the VCA team, worth approximately £5,000 Level 1 Academy of Cheese courses and a year’s subscription worth over £300 A pair of return Eurostar tickets

The Virtual Cheese Awards’ live final will be held on Friday 13th May 2022, and entries now close on the extended date of Monday 28th March 2022. You can enter the awards here.