Mainland Special Reserve and Kapiti scoop awards

     
 
MEDIA RELEASE
05/03/10
 
Mainland Special Reserve and Kapiti scoop top awards

Mainland Special Reserve and Kapiti cheeses made a clean sweep of the 2010 Cuisine New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards, taking out the top prize and three individual categories.
 
Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Blue, produced by the blue cheesemaking team at the Eltham site in Taranaki, won the Champion of Champions Award for large cheesemakers, the industry’s top award.
 
The Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Blue cheese is part of a proud legacy of blue cheeses that have been manufactured since the 1950s. It also won the highly contested Champion Blue Cheese category.
 
Master Judge for the Awards, Australian Russell Smith, said the high standard of New Zealand’s blue cheeses makes it a difficult category to win.
 
“The blues made in New Zealand are absolutely superb, and it’s a category that New Zealand is extremely well known for. So it was more than appropriate that the Champion of Champions award went to a blue cheese,” said Smith.
 
“The Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Blue was excellent; it had a beautiful sweet, nutty flavour and was technically a superbly-made cheese with very even blue veins throughout.” 
 
Celebrity chef Al Brown, co-owner of Wellington’s acclaimed Logan Brown restaurant and host of popular TV show Hunger for the Wild, was also impressed by the Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Blue, dubbing it, “the people’s cheese”.
 
“The cheesemakers have got everything right – it’s well made and perfectly balanced,” he said.
Gina Klarwill, Senior Brand Manager for specialty cheese, says Mainland Special Reserve’s blues are going from strength-to-strength as befitting the more than 50 years of expertise that have gone into their making.
 
“This is certainly a reflection of the dedication and passion our cheesemakers have for their craft,” said Klarwill.
 
Judges also recognised Mainland Special Reserve Haloumi, awarding it a gold medal. The Haloumi has just recently been launched, and is already flying off the shelves.
 
“It’s great that both judges and consumers have embraced this great cheese,” said Klarwill.
 
Finally for Mainland, gold medal status was achieved by Mainland Smoked Cheddar.
 
The Kapiti cheese portfolio was also successful, winning two categories at the Awards.
 
The Kapiti Kahikatea Camembert topped the Champion Soft White Rind Cheese category, while its Mount Herbert fresh goat’s cheese took the Champion Original NZ Cheese award for its zesty, fresh lemony taste and smooth creamy texture.
 
Kapiti Mt Herbert is made using an original NZ recipe and takes its name and shape from Mt Herbert, located in the Tararua Ranges.
 
Other Kapiti gold medal winners from the Awards include the Kapiti Kahurangi Creamy Blue and Kapiti Mt Hector goats’ cheese.
 
“It’s exciting to see New Zealanders’ palettes becoming more adventurous. Our brands will continue to grow to ensure we cater for the ever-expanding tastes of our consumers,” said Klarwill.
 
Ends

© Scoop Media