Helle Øder Valebrokk

Meet Helle Øder Valebrokk: Trønder and half Danish, award-winning hobby chef and cookbook author. She has worked in the press since 1992 and now works as a freelance journalist and blogger with a focus on food, drink and travel.

- What is it like to be a judge in the World Cheese Championship, one of the most important competitions for cheese in the world? - I don't quite know what I'm going to do, but I'm looking forward to tasting lots of exciting and delicious cheeses. I'm an osteomaniac! I always choose cheese over dessert when I'm in a restaurant and therefore I hope and believe that I have a natural place as a judge in the Cheese World Championship.
I'm looking forward to tasting cheeses I've never tasted before.

- What could be the value of the Cheese WC being held in Norway? - Norway is a country that has excelled in world class when it comes to cheese. We have many great, small cheese factories that produce the best cheeses you can imagine. By having the Cheese WC in Norway this year, I hope this will inspire others who are thinking about starting a cheese business to start a cheese factory. We need more good cheese producers.

- How can we be inspired to taste new Norwegian cheeses? - There is more than Jarlsberg and Norvegia. These are good cheeses for slices of bread and for everyday use. But we have so many exciting producers who make blue cheeses, Norwegian brie varieties, cheddar and goat cheeses. Cheese is not just a topping, it is perfect to use in cooking and as an accompaniment to wine or beer. Why should we choose foreign cheeses for a cozy evening when we have excellent Norwegian alternatives?

- What is your best cheese memory? - My grandparents ran a dairy in Denmark in the old days and they received awards for good cheeses and butter in the 40s and 50s. They have always been concerned with good cheeses. I have been lucky to have access to good cheese throughout my childhood, even if having Gammel Ole in the lunchbox could sometimes cause fellow pupils at primary school to wrinkle their noses. As an adult, I have been lucky enough to taste wonderful cheeses all over the world. I have had many good cheese experiences. Everything from wheelbarrows with 30 different, perfectly tempered cheeses served at Michelin-starred restaurants to my grandfather's cheese sandwiches made with brown cheese grilled over the fireplace at the cabin or the cheese fondue I was served in Mexico City. When I want to enjoy myself extra, I make cheese sandwiches with several cheeses.

- What is your best serving tip for cheese? - Cheese and red wine rarely work. I like to drink port or dry sherry with cheese. But beer is also the perfect accompaniment to cheese. I like honey as a side dish and especially Greek thyme honey or Italian chestnut honey, but also jam cooked with spices tastes good. I think roasted nuts and dried fruit are a better accompaniment than fresh fruit. I like neutral crackers, because I like to taste the cheese. In addition, the biscuit must be thin so that you do not eat your fill of the bread food.