Craggy Range Sheep Dairy co-owner Kate Clairmont said it’s impossible to expect anything in the cheesemaking game, but Thursday night was one for them.
“We go with no expectations and are always grateful to get anything,” she said.
Clairmont called the company’s pecorino its signature cheese, describing it as a traditional Italian style pecorino aged for six months, making it a “beautiful fresh cheese, perfect on a cheese board”.
“We’ve followed the pecorino style for many years to create a very classic sheep cheese,” she said.
Classically a sheep cheese company, Craggy’s halloumi is made with cow’s milk from a farm in Takapau, which is made when the business is not milking sheep.
Clairmont described the halloumi as creamy with a salty kick.
“Perfect to fry up and it’s got a bit of a softness to it as well, so it doesn’t go too hard,” she said.
“Our kids love it the most.”
Clairmont said it was the company’s first time entering the awards after building a factory on its Tukituki Valley farm, previously making cheese alongside Hōhepa, which also won one gold, silver and bronze award on the night.
“There’s some beautiful little artisan boutique cheesemakers in the country and to rise to the top of them is really special,” Clairmont said.
“Especially now that we’re making all our own, we feel very proud.”
Origin Earth co-owner Bruce Wattie said the three awards were a fantastic endorsement of its feta, but he was too busy working to make it to the award ceremony.
He puts the feta’s success down to the basics.
“All good cheese starts with good milk,” he said.
“We get our sheep milk from the Central North Island and we think it’s particularly good quality.”
Wattie heaped praise on the business’ founders Joanie and Richard Williams as well as company cheese maker Rowena Sinclair.
“For us having just taken over the business middle of last year, it’s very encouraging and hopefully recognition of the good product that we make,” he said.
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.
