3,000 cheeses and a very pungent room - inside the World Cheese Awards 2015

Just picture the scene - a giant room at Birmingham's NEC filled with 2,727 cheeses (the dairy intolerant should probably look away now). Giant blocks of cheddar, vast wedges of Comte, tiny rounds of Torta de trujillo: this was the truly global selection on display at the World Cheese Awards, 2015. The judges, too, had flown in from every continent, from Australia to Japan, from Canada to the Canaries. One girl, from Vermont, had just finished a PhD on cheese and was now being funded to travel the world, in search of the best.

Armed with white coats and special "cheese irons" with which to extract samples, teams gathered at vast trestle tables loaded with a dizzying range: we each had about 47 entries to grade before lunch. My table included a chirpy Swiss cheesemaker, who exuded enthusiasm and hope, and a Yorkshireman with very strong opinions about cheddar. "This one has a very weak body", he declared stridently, pressing one large block with his thumb. "Far too much moisture." We tried a 10-month Emmental which looked impressive, but failed to deliver much flavour. A couple of pots of flavoured cream cheese were swiftly dismissed, before we deliberated over some borderline feta. Finally we hit gold - a beautifully made semi-hard goats cheese with a complex, rounded flavour that just kept on giving. We crowned it our 'supergold' - one of 62 shortlisted to go before an international grand jury in the afternoon.

The judges assemble for the World Cheese Awards 2015

Those 62 were narrowed down to just 16 finalists: each one championed by a different judge, the whole thing broadcast live on a special World Cheese TV channel, hosted by Radio 2's Nigel Barden. As each one went before the jury for tasting, they held up little score cards numbered one to five: it was like the Eurovision Song Contest, but with less singing. And more cheese.

The first choice, picked by Australian judge Kris Lloyd, was, she said, exquisite: the best she'd tasted all day, but South Africa's Kobus Mulder wasn't so impressed. "It's a very specific cheese", he complained. "I'd have it in the afternoon, with a large glass of wine. But it would be impossible to eat it for breakfast. You'd get messy fingers." (Ah, the eternal quest for a 'breakfast cheese'.)

Perhaps Mexico's Carlos Yescas would have better luck. Last year his aromatic goat's cheese wrapped in avocado leaves made it to the final, but he didn't: his appendix ruptured on the flight over, and he was rushed straight to intensive care. Happily this time, he was there in person, enthusing about an intensely creamy burrata. "I hope everyone gets to try it. This cheesemaker has amazing milk, and knows not to do too much with it."

Judges were equipped with 'cheese irons' for sampling

Points were stacking up: plenty of fours and fives, while the judges became ever more eloquent. Terumi Sumon from Japan sweetly described one cheese as "very unique and dramatic", while the USA judge poetically said it reminded her of "a bakery, the yeast when you add the warm water. The kind of place you want to lay down and have a picnic in the spring."

England's Charlie Turnbull promoted a "rude and robust" blue which divided the critics: while another finalist, said a Spanish judge, would have been considered a failure 20 years ago: "We used to feed these cheeses to the pigs. I'm very happy that people appreciate them now." Bob Farrand, who founded the awards 28 years ago, was brief and to the point about his choice. "Let's not talk too much about it, let's just eat."

At last the scorecard was complete: and by a single point, the 2015 winner was declared: a Le Gruyere AOP made by Switzerland's Cremo and Von Muhlnen, a gloriously nutty, rich and rounded cheese with a slight crunch of salt crystal at the end. The man behind it, Rene Ruch, held his trophy aloft. "I can't explain what I feel right now", he said. "It's just fantastic, it recognises all the hard work, the quality of the milk, the small family producers who work seven days a week, and do such a great job."

There was cheese from all over the world at the awards

According to Bob Farrand, the secret of the Gruyere's success was its international appeal. "It ticks more boxes for more nations. The summer milk, from cows which graze on the mountain pastures, is truly unique. At about 17 to 18 months, it develops a complexity which everyone can appreciate."

From 2,727 cheeses, to just one, a triumph of true craftsmanship, and a room filled with the cheeseboard of dreams. Next year, the awards will go on the road, to San Sebastian. Let's hope someone remembers to bring the crackers.

World Cheese Awards 2015 winners