Over the past month in the Netherlands, there have been tastings of dairy products: cheeses of all shapes and sizes, farm-fresh produce in a variety of flavours. There are both ‘farmhouse cheeses’ and ‘cheeses from the farm’. The former is made from raw milk, the latter is thermised or pasteurised. The most interesting category is that of raw milk products, where you can best appreciate the craftsmanship. Everything has to be just right, and if mistakes are made – particularly regarding hygiene – you can face severe penalties. You are considered a top-class cheesemaker/dairy farmer/farm if you manage to produce a farmhouse cheese in the hard cheese category (>20 kg) that can also mature for a long time without developing any subsequent flavour defects.
In the case of raw-milk cheeses, such as Gouda farmhouse cheese, the milk is not thermised or pasteurised beforehand. Thermisation is a ‘mild’ heating process, whereas pasteurisation is the official standard required by law to produce safe products. Heating corrects some of the (bacterial) errors that have occurred, but not all errors can be rectified. If spore-forming bacteria are present in the milk, you can pasteurise as much as you like; they will still grow and cause unwanted gas formation during ripening.
Heat treatment, starting with thermisation, leads to a loss of flavour complexity; all cheeses begin to taste alike. The French online magazine ‘Fromager’ published an article on the effects of heat treatment on the characteristics of cheese. The flavour of the cheese changes, becoming less intense than that of cheese made from raw milk. Raw-milk cheeses have a more pronounced flavour, but can also clearly highlight certain flaws, such as bitterness (Table 1).
Table 1. Effect of thermisation of the cheese milk on the aroma and flavour characteristics of the cheese (taken from Fromager, March 2026)
| Cheesemilk | ||
| Raw | Thermised | |
| Overall intensity | High | Moderate |
| Aromatic complexity | Strong | Moderate |
| Bitterness | Possible | More rare |
| Umami notes | Often strong | More mild |
| Aromatic amino acids | Stronegr | Milder |
| Develeopment in affinage | Stronegr | Milder |
| Expression of terroir | Very strong | Moderate |
| Repeatability | Varaiable | Stable |
Douze points, score of 100, platina
There are various ways to show that you’ve achieved the highest score. In the Eurovision Song Contest, a country can award a maximum of 12 points (douze points) to a group from another country. When scoring cheese, you can achieve a maximum of 100 points. When it comes to Gouda cheese, it must look immaculate on the outside, must not be unevenly pressed, and must have nice round edges. When cut, the cheese must not be completely blind, but there must have been appropriate gas development with holes the size of an old-fashioned ten-cent coin – not too many and not too few. The cheese must be beautifully creamy. You receive many points for the development of the aroma and flavour; if there are any deviations, how is the aftertaste and does the flavour linger in the mouth.
In 2026, both producers of Aged Artisan Gouda cheese (BGO) achieved very high scores. One achieved 100 points (the maximum score) with BGO cheese, whilst the other (a 10 month old Gouda) scored just below that. BGO-cheese is at least 1½ years old, made in wooden vats lined with linen cloths during a period when the cows could graze to their full potential (grass-fed milk). Furthermore, both cheesemakers still use ‘traditional starter cultures’, such as BOS and BK2. This is in contrast to the so-called nisin starter cultures that have found their way into a large proportion of traditional farmhouse cheeses, but unfortunately very often result in a sweetish taste in the cheese. Nisin starter cultures are used to prevent unwanted bacterial growth in the cheese. Whilst this works in itself, it does come at the expense of flavour.
Artisanal goat cheese from raw milk
It is worth noting that Doetie Trinks also received a Platinum award in a completely different category, namely fresh goat’s cheese. Doetie also makes her cheese from raw (goat’s) milk, using a single-walled wooden vat in the process. Doetie works according to the principle of ‘natural cheese-making’, as articulated and elaborated by David Asher. The magazine Ekoland wrote about the significance of this award. Below is the full text from the Ekoland website (by Anna Veltman on 20 March 2026)
Platinum award for a unique cheese from Frisian farmer Doetie Trinks
The sun is shining again, her white-mould cheese has been awarded a Platinum medal, and her Demeter certification is almost finalised. Spring has got off to a good start for Doetie Trinks. The goat farmer from Aldwâld sees the award for her cheeses as recognition of her working methods. Even though she wasn’t even present at the ceremony herself. “I’d assumed my cheeses wouldn’t score that highly. It’s quite a drive for me, and it would have been too late. The next day I just have to milk again. And go to the market in Rotterdam. In short, I wasn’t prepared for it; you experience an award like that differently when you’re there,” says Trinks. “Still, it is a really nice moment to be part of”, Trinks points out. It’s only once a year that she gets to meet so many colleagues, so it was a bit of a shame for her not to be there.
Although her cheeses frequently win awards, the honours still came as a surprise. The semi-soft white-mould cheese ‘de Swarte Toer’ won platinum (after two gold medals). Her ‘Grutte Grize’, a young creamy cheese with a layer of ash, won gold this year after two platinum awards. “There isn’t much milk in February, and the cheeses I sent in were still quite young.” Moreover, she says, once you’ve sent them off, you have little influence over the maturing process. “Those cheeses are in transit for ten days, under conditions you can’t control. You don’t know how they’ll develop further.”
A boost after a tough winter
Trinks describes last winter, which was a tough time for her. “Here in the North, we were stuck in the cold fog for a long time, with plenty of frost and snow. My barn has an open gable on the north side, so the drifting snow just blew straight in. My hands were a mess.” She’s glad spring is on its way, although her woolly goats coped just fine during the cold spell.
White-mould cheese “de Swarte Toer”
Natural production method recognised
The award, presented by the Association of Dairy Producers (BBZ), is a testament to her unconventional approach. Trinks makes cheese using her own micro flora, derived from the milk of her own goats. Throughout her work, she opts for a process that is as natural as possible. “It’s not always easy to work this way. So an award like this is very welcome. It gives you the assurance that what you’re doing is right, that both the product and the process are sound.”
On her farm, where she milks 72 Toggenburg goats, everything revolves around adapting to what’s available. She makes cheese every day, but she decides on the spot what sort of cheese it will be. “I look at the amount of milk and what my customers want. I tailor it to that.” She doesn’t take any measurements. “No fat content or anything like that. The cheese is different in summer than in winter; I just explain that to the customer.”
She meets these customers every week at the Rotterdam Oogstmarkt, where she has a stall all year round, as well as at the Pure Market in Amsterdam, on the first Saturday of the month at the Vijzelstraat Farmers’ Market in Leeuwarden, and in the summer at the Farmers’ Market in Woudsend. “I’m happy with both sales channels – selling directly to customers as well as to cheese refiners; they’re both lovely customers. They complement each other very well.”
Demeter as a dessert
Four years ago, Trinks moved to her current location in Aldwâld (province Friesland), where she immediately began the transition to organic farming. She is now organically certified and nearing completion of her Demeter certification. “I had my second inspection yesterday. I’ve already received the signs.” That step wasn’t a foregone conclusion. “I’d been quite sceptical about the organic label,” she admits. “It costs money and it’s a lot of hassle.” At the same time, the certification was practically necessary within the combined declaration system. She now sees things differently. “It just feels right now that I’m organic.”
For her, Demeter certification goes one step further. “That’s really the icing on the cake. Through the peer support groups, you become part of a community. It feels very warm and welcoming. You really do Demeter for yourself”.
Conclusion
At the 2026 cheese competition, traditional, natural production methods were recognised through a diverse range of cheeses with excellent aroma and flavour. In both the category for mature, ripened Gouda cheeses and that for fresh goat’s milk cheeses, farmers were rewarded for their many years of dedication to producing raw-milk cheese.
