Eat some cheese. Have your say.
The cheese awards of the people is back for 2025.
And this year, we’re feeling fresh.
PEOPLE'S CHEESE 2025
Britain’s Best New Cheese
Sponsored by:
Following heaps of cheese tasting fun during the ‘Heritage Edition’ of the competition last year, we’ll now be championing Britain and Northern Ireland’s newest cheeses – with the support of our friends at Chiswick Cheese Market, who are sponsoring ‘People’s Cheese 2025: Britain’s Best New Cheese’.
Cheesemaking innovation is booming in the UK, so you can expect plenty of exciting new wedges in this year’s line-up. These will range from new takes on the classics, to styles never before seen on our shores.
The competition’s mission is simple - to get the country’s best artisan cheese in front of more people.
Photo credit: Angus D. Birditt @angusdbirditt
ENTER YOUR CHEESE
Have you launched a new cheese since the start of 2024? You have..? Then enter People’s Cheese 2025!
It’s totally free to enter, but total entries will be capped, so early submission is advised.
Any artisan cheese made in the UK, available to buy commercially in the UK, and launched from 1 January 2024 onwards, is eligible to enter.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Friday 25 April
BE A CHEESE JUDGE!
ROUND 1: Chiswick Cheese Market - Sunday 15 June
We’ll be back at Chiswick Cheese Market this June to kick things off. Following some awesome public voting sessions last year, we’re expecting you to turn up for real cheese once again, and help select our PC25 finalists.
There will be various heats running throughout the day, from 10am to 2pm, featuring the freshest new cheese finds from across the UK.
To take part, simply turn up, sign up (for free), and get tasting!
Once again, we’ll be calling on the cheese loving public to taste, ponder and vote for your favourites.
We need your taste buds and your votes, as The Real Cheese Project and Chiswick Cheese Market team up to help raise awareness of cheesemaking innovation in the UK.
We’ll have two rounds of public voting…
FINAL: Live Online Broadcast – late September
Just like our first two editions of People’s Cheese, the final will be broadcast online, and we’ll be joined by an expert panel of cheese friends. These esteemed curd nerds won’t get to vote though… the final call is 100% down to you!
Once we have our finalists, you’ll be able to purchase tasting boxes for the live online final.
To play your part in crowning Britain’s Best New Cheese, you’ll just need to reserve your box, and tune in on the night.
PEOPLE’S CHEESE 2024
PC24 Champion: Extra Mature Cheddar by Keen’s Cheddar
Sponsored by:
In 2024, we took on Britain’s mighty territorials for the ‘Heritage Edition’ of the competition.
More cheeses meant more rounds, and we had an amazing time at Chiswick Cheese Market for the Heats and Semi-Finals, before streaming the final live from Mrs Kirkham’s in Lancashire, hosted by top comedian and cheese champion, Marcus Brigstocke.
In the live final on 11 October, Extra Mature Cheddar by Keen’s Cheddar won the public vote, up against Cropwell Bishop’s Blue Stilton, Bourne’s Cheshire Cheese, and Thelma’s Original Caerffili by Caws Cenarth.
We couldn’t have asked for a more fitting winner of our ‘Heritage Edition’ than this unpasteurised cheddar, which has been in production at Moorhayes Farm in Somerset since 1899. Five generations later, under the stewardship of George Keen, the family is still making cheese with raw milk from their 250-strong herd of Friesian cows – with Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar matured for 18 months to achieve a moist texture and full-bodied flavour, with onion notes and plenty of tang.
Paul Heasman from Rowcliffe, sponsors of People’s Cheese 2024, commented:
“Keen’s Cheddar is a cornerstone of British cheese, and I think this award shows the enduring popularity of traditional clothbound cheddar, well over a century after the Keen family made their first truckle. We’ve loved celebrating Britain’s territorials during this year’s competition, and hope we’ve surprised a few members of the cheese loving public with what’s on offer out there.”
We’d like to say a massive cheesy thanks to all our judges (you lot), our entrants, our expert panel, and our supporters for making People’s Cheese 2024 so special.
ARE YOU A Cheese shop?
If you’re a cheese shop and would like to find out more, email: hello@therealcheeseproject.co.uk.
It’s totally free to get involved!