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MELBOURNE | The 2018 Australian Grand Dairy Awards recently took place, hosted at Melbourne’s famously stylish café, Higher Ground. State winners in various categories from across the nation came together to celebrate the success of the dairy industry, and the outstanding quality of produce created by Australia’s leading dairy producers.
In the lead up to this event, a total of 400 products were judged by 22 judges, culminating in 18 winning producers across categories celebrating different types of cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, butter and milk. Hosted by 2013 Masterchef winner, cookbook author and TV presenter, Emma Dean, these prestigious awards retained a cheerfully humble air that suited the laid back mannerisms of most of the dairy industry’s producers.
In between the presentations, guests were treated to tables generously overflowing with winning products. Being avid cheese lovers, some of our personal favourites included the Woombye Blackall Gold Washed Rind, Section28 Monte Diavolo and the King Island Dairy Discovery Ash Brie. Simple pairings such as toasted sourdough with Western Star Chef’s Choice Unsalted Cultured Butter kept us going back for more, whilst complex flavours such as the decadently creamy Gundowring Licorice Ice Cream wowed our taste buds, and stole our hearts.
Meeting the producers, and showcasing their products in the purest, most natural form made us appreciate the level of passion and hard work that Australian dairy producers put into the creation and production of their product. Something that us, as consumers, can often forget when reaching for a presumably trusted brand on the supermarket shelves.
You can see the full list of the winners below.
Category – Product – Producer
Fresh Unripened Cheese – Montefiore Ovoline – Montefiore Cheese Australia
White Mould Cheese – King Island Dairy Discovery Ash Brie 175g – King Island Dairy
Semi Hard / Eye Cheese – Section28 Monforte – Section28 Artisan Cheeses
Cheddar Cheese – Bega Heritage Reserve Vintage Cheddar – Bega Cheese Heritage
Hard Cheese – Mil Lel Superior Parmesan – Warrnambool Cheese & Butter
Blue Cheese – Berrys Creek Tarwin Blue – Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese
Washed Rind / Mixed Rind Cheese – Blackall Gold Washed Rind – Woombye Cheese Company
Flavoured Cheese – Monte Diavolo – Section28 Artisan Cheeses
Goat’s / Sheep’s / Buffalo Milk Cheese – Riverine Blue – Berry’s Creek Gourmet Cheese
Natural Yoghurt – Greek Natural Yoghurt – Jalna
Ice Cream – Licorice Ice Cream – Gundowring
Dairy Gelato – Salted Pistachio – Pure Gelato
Milk – Guernsey Non-Homogenised Full Cream Milk – Maleny Dairies
Specialty White Dairy Drink – HiLo – Masters Dairy
Cream – Pure Double Cream – The Little Big Dairy Co
Butter, Flavoured Butter or Butter Blend – Unsalted Cultured Butter – Western Star Chef’s Choice