Cheesy grins all round as Bay company bags medals

10th March 2010

A relatively new cheese-making company on the block - Mt Eliza Cheese near Katikati - has won three medals at the 2010 Cuisine New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards.

Chris and Jill Whalley established the Mt Eliza brand (named for a Kaimai peak) in 2007 and entered the awards for the first time, putting forward three of their best cheeses at a cost of $400 each.

Much to their delight all three won medals - a gold and two silvers - which sees the couple, who make all their cheeses themselves at their Hot Springs Rd cheese factory, able to apply "medal-winner" stickers to the varieties.

"We went in on a shoestring - and they all won, so we're delighted," said Mrs Whalley.

With 16 categories in the competition this year, judges awarded a "champion cheese" in every category (from the gold medal winners) as well as handing out gold, silver and bronze medals to all cheeses with certain scores, thanks to blind taste tests.

Mt Eliza's Red Leicester cheese won a gold medal in the QCONZ Champion European Style Cheese Award category. The brand's Cheshire cheese won a silver medal in the same award category and the Farmhouse Cheddar won a silver medal in the New Zealand Food Safety Authority Champion New Cheese Award.

Read more in today's Bay of Plenty Times