A COAL River Farm blue has been awarded Best Cheese at the Melbourne Royal Dairy Awards.
Coal River Farm’s Blue Cheese won a gold medal for its category and the Best Cheese of Australia.
The artisan producer started the cheese making part of the business eight years ago, specialising in soft mould and semi-hard cheeses.
Owner Melanie Leesong said the Blue Cheese had always proved to be popular.
“Everybody has been loving it for eight years.
“It’s a mild, creamy gorgonzola cheese so it starts off sweet and then the bitterness comes afterwards which tends to keep most people happy.”
They’ve always used milk from Bream Creek Dairy and cream from Bega.
“The great quality of the milk and the ingredients, the process being all handmade shows it’s made with a lot of love,” Ms Leesong said.
The farm employs four cheesemakers led by Tim Gadischke who has been head cheesemaker for more than six years. Mr Gadischke said the Blue Cheese has won multiple gold medals before but this year is the first year they’ve won the top award.
“Our quality is becoming a lot more consistent. We’ve just got a really good team and have consistent practices,” he said.