LUNTEREN/EGMOND – A great moment for Luuk Koopman, owner of Zuivelhoeve at Kaashuis Tromp in Egmond aan den Hoef. He was awarded the best prize at the Foreign Cheese Keur Competition in Lunteren on Monday.
The Cheese Guild, with the aim of promoting the use of French and foreign cheese, organizes a tasting competition every year. Twelve European cheeses are tested here by name, type, origin, type of milk, fat percentage, milk preparation and quality. Koopman took action on April 8 during this tasty match and he received his reward last Monday.
Koopman was presented with the Weegen trophy during the spring meeting of the Guilde des Maîtres Fromagers aux Pays-Bas. It is not the first time he has won prizes. The entrepreneur took second place in 2016 and 2023 and first place in 2022.
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‘The most difficult thing is recognizing a cheese based on a small piece that you taste, because this year there were also a few clues. For example, the Cashel Blue is often confused with the Danish Blue or Gorgonzola Piccante. In addition, it is difficult to distinguish between Beaufort, Fontina and Comté’, says Luuk Koopman.
This year, 305 out of 360 points were enough to take home the Huber van de Weegen trophy. As a result, Tromp can call himself ‘The best foreign cheese taster in the Netherlands’ for a year.
Photo of winner Luuk Koopman (Photo: supplied).
