Lidsdale's Jannei Goat Dairy isn't kidding around when it comes to their goat cheese, taking out four different prizes at the Royal Easter Show.
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The locals took out silver for their White Mould Miette and Fresh Curd, and they managed to come away with two bronze awards for their Marinated Fetta and Ricotta.
The hardworking couple are no strangers to receiving awards for their cheese, having over 40 gold awards in the past 25 years of work.
"We have a cupboard full of awards that we just haven't put up yet," Jannei Goat Dairy owner Janet Watson said.
The only thing the couple haven't done lately is a goat showing because they have been concentrating hard on their cheese.
In 2004 Jannei Goat Dairy were the grand champions for their cheese, a title that not many people have received.
Janet marinates her own fetta with her own recipe and has four varieties of marinate.
"We put the curd in every year and it got a silver so I am happy about that," she said.
"We did the ricotta which I am quite proud of, we only got a bronze but it's never got anything before so that's nice to get some accreditation that we are on the right track."
Judging
Judging a cheese; most people wouldn't know where to even begin besides probably the taste, but there is a lot more to it than that.
The Jannei Ricotta got a four out of four for its packaging, something that Janet is proud of since she has been able to put her graphic design skills to use.
"Four our Miette we got an 8.5 out of 10 while our curd got a 7.83 for the flavour and aroma, then for body and texture out of six, they gave us a 5.67 so they were pleased with the fetta texture but we only a got a silver, so you have to get over 80 percent to get gold," she said.
The highest the couple got was a 17.33 out of 20 for the Miette, the Curd came in at 17.
"I didn't put in our Buche Noir our multi gold winning cheese because I have been trying to think outside the box," she said.
Janet said it is $55 per entry and by the time the couple take a kilogram of cheese each down to Sydney, that is over $500 to get everything down there.
Where it all began
The couple started in 1995 and won their first award four years later in 1999.
"But I believe our first award was actually in 1998 for the Buche Noir, a judge walked past in 1997 and told me it had something to do with the ashing, and I realised I wasn't ashing the bottom of the cheese and when I did we won first prize," she said.
"When we first started nobody was going in the Royal and we won all three blue ones in 2000."
They didn't have cheese shows when the couple first started so in 2002 they went Sydney royal and won with their fresh curd.
"That was one of the pivotal wins, but our first big win was for our best fresh curd cheese at the Regent," she said.
When the couple was on a winning streak in 2002, Janet said they came home with everything.
"It's funny really when you think about it, we got certificates, trophies, medals, even knives," she said.
In 2008 the couple won Champion award for best Goats Milk Cheese at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards an then another champion award in 2012 for Fresh Curd.
The couple has had quite the ride having been put in the Sydney Herald magazine, having a head chef of the Sydney regent write a recipe based on their cheese and more.
"It's been a bit of a different journey, but an extremely good one," she said.
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