The best cheese in the world has been named, and neither Italy nor France can claim the honor. It’s created in Cornwall, a county in southwest England.

The cheese is called Cornish Kern, and it now officially the Supreme Champion of the 2017 World Cheese Awards. Produced by Lynher Dairies, the cow’s milk cheese has a dark black, wax-like rind. Lynher Dairies describes the cheese as being “buttery with caramel notes.” According to iNews, it’s a “Gouda-style recipe” and is made with “Alpine starter cultures.” It’s aged for about 16 months, producing a hard, “flaky and almost dry” cheese.

It might not be a region commonly thought of for cheese, but this isn’t the first time Cornish cheese has received international recognition. A variety called Cornish Blue won Best English Cheese at the International Cheese Awards in 2010, and Cornish Kern also previously won title of Best Modern British Cheese at the British Cheese Awards in 2014.

An estimated 3,000 cheeses from 35 different countries competed in the competition, which was judged by 250 experts representing 29 nations .

A Blu di Buffalo produced by Italian company Caseficio Quattro Portoni came in second place in the, while Croatian cheeses took home six gold medals from the awards ceremony. For a full list of winners, see the World Cheese 2017 results.

So next time you’re putting together a cheese plate, don’t forget to wander over to the English cheese section of the store. The classics might be French, but the future might be English.

 

(h/t Food & Wine)

 

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Meghan is a full-time writer exploring the fun facts behind food. She lives a healthy lifestyle but lives for breakfast, dessert and anything with marinara. She’s thrown away just as many meals as she’s proud of.