WINNERS, AGAIN: Surrounded by award-winning Edam cheeses are, from front, Anna Rosevear, Vicki Moore, Audrey Sergent and Jesse Rosevear. Other members of the family firm are Bob, Jake and Tim Rosevear, Georgie Smith and Tony van Stokkum. PHOTO/PETER DE GRAAF
WINNERS, AGAIN: Surrounded by award-winning Edam cheeses are, from front, Anna Rosevear, Vicki Moore, Audrey Sergent and Jesse Rosevear. Other members of the family firm are Bob, Jake and Tim Rosevear, Georgie Smith and Tony van Stokkum. PHOTO/PETER DE GRAAF
A Northland family firm has pulled off an extraordinary hat-trick by winning the nation's top artisan cheese award for the third year running.
Mahoe Farmhouse Cheese at Oromahoe, south of Kerikeri, took out the Cuisine Champion Artisan Cheese Award for its Very Old Edam at the New Zealand Cheese Awardsthis week. The prize is for the best cheese in the country made by producers of up to 25 tonnes a year.
The accolade continues an astonishing run of success for the Rosevear family.
Last year head cheesemaker Jake Rosevear, then aged 34, won the Champion Cheesemaker Award, the first person to do so two years running, while their Very Old Edam was named champion artisan cheese and their Mature Gouda the champion Dutch-style cheese. In 2012 Jake won the top cheesemaker title for the first time and the Very Old Edam started its reign as the supreme artisan cheese.
Brother and fellow cheesemaker Jesse Rosevear put the win down to the family's 28 years of experience, his brother Jake's meticulousness and dedication, and quality milk from brother Tim's low-stress herd of 55 cows.
Their milk did not have to be transported because the milking shed was next door to the cheese factory.
The third artisan award in a row showed the family had succeeded in making consistently good cheeses, a challenge when milk was always changing during the season.
The 28-strong judging panel was headed by one of Australasia's top cheese experts, Russell Smith, who said Mahoe's Very Old Edam was "superbly flavoursome".
"This cheese is so good that you don't want to put anything else in your mouth for some time."
Mr Smith said New Zealand cheese ranked among the best in the world.
"The diversity of flavour profiles, the quality of cheese making and high presentation of the majority of cheese was fantastic. It's incredibly encouraging to see the bar being raised each year."
The three top awards went to Dutch cheeses or cheesemakers of Dutch heritage. The prize for best cheese by a large producer went to Barrys Bay Traditional Cheese of Akaroa for its Aged Gouda. The champion cheesemaker title went to Dutch-born Jeanne van Kuyk of Te Aroha. Her company, Aroha Organic Goat Cheese, also won the award for best goat cheese.
More than 430 cheeses were entered in this year's competition with winners announced in Auckland on Tuesday.
