With a long history of dairy farming and butter making in the region, including a cheesemaking section in the Kangaroo Valley Show seemed obvious.
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And this is precisely what happened in 2016 when Rosie Johnson and Kathy Harrington of Valley Cheesemakers approached the show committee about adding a cheese and dairy Section to the existing range of competitions.
The following year, the first cheese and dairy section was held.
Following a two-year hiatus, the pair were unsure how many entries to expect in the cheese and dairy section this year.
However, they were thrilled when they attracted a massive 90 entries - up by one-third on the previous number of entries.
These were submitted across the 10 categories by 15 entrants, many of whom had attended one of their regular cheesemaking workshops.
Judging started with the butter, then moved to yoghurt. The fresh unripened cheeses included Feta, Haloumi, Chabichou and an ashed Chevre, while the marinated cheeses focused on Labneh and Feta, with flavourings ranging from lemon based to garlic and chillies.
White mould cheeses included Brie and Camembert and a goat's milk Saint Maure. And amongst the firmer cheeses were Caerphilly, Comte, Red Leicester, Cheddar, Cotswold, Havarti and Pepato.
The smelliest and strongest cheeses, including washed rind cheeses, are saved for last. The blue mould cheeses included Stilton-style, Roquefort-style and creamy blues of varying intensity.
"After six hours of tasting every product, our cheese judge declared she had a Champion Cheese," Mrs Johnson said.
The winner of the Carole Willman Perpetual Trophy for Champion Cheese was Pam Swinfield with her blue mould cheese Forme D'Ambert, with the Most Successful Exhibitor, sponsored by the Kangaroo Valley Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, being Mrs Johnson herself.
"We are proud of our open judging process and are fortunate to have Carole Willman, a cheese expert and educator, travel to Kangaroo Valley to conduct the open judging for us," Mrs Johnson said.
"People who enter their cheese and dairy products can hear directly from the judge about their entry's texture, taste and appearance. Written feedback is also provided for each product entered.
"Everyone who listens to Carole at the judging is impressed by her wealth of knowledge.
"Carole is keen to support us as she is impressed by the enthusiasm and range of products entered by our local area and wants to encourage that ongoing exploration of the cheese and dairy world by amateur cheesemakers."
Setting a new Guinness World Record in 2019 for the Largest Cheese Tasting created a lot of interest and community support for cheese events at the Kangaroo Valley Show, says Mrs Johnson.
This prompted them to add cheese-related events to the show, and 2023 featured a cheese and wine-tasting event, which proved very popular.
Valley Cheesemakers run workshops throughout the year.
This year's workshops are scheduled for March 26 (fully booked), April 1 (one place remaining) and September 23-24.
"We also offer personal workshops for groups of four or more people, and we can host these at our venue or local accommodation if the space is suitable," Mrs Johnson said.
Visit valleycheesemakers.com.au for more information.
Hayley Warden
Hayley Warden is a digital journalist with ACM Agri based on the NSW South Coast.
Hayley Warden is a digital journalist with ACM Agri based on the NSW South Coast.
