Goats Cheese Makes History at Royal Agricultural Society Dairy Awards

In an unprecedented achievement, a semi-hard goats cheese from South Australia has been crowned Champion Cheese at the Royal Agricultural Society dairy awards. This marks the first time a goats cheese has secured the top accolade in the prestigious competition's 150-year history.

Produced by Little Yarra Cheese Company, the award-winning Lilyarra Aran cheese is a unique creation developed by cheesemaker Gerard Callinan using his original recipe. The cheese is noted for its naturally developed rind and complex, earthy flavors attributed to the diverse pasture and legume diet of the goats.

Head judge Tiffany Beer highlighted the exceptional craftsmanship involved in making this hard goats cheese, noting its rarity and the distinctive taste that led to its win. "The goats cheese that won was truly exceptional, quite different, unusual, and rare," Beer stated.

In addition to the cheese awards, the event also recognized other dairy products, including the celebrated dessert Shuddh Rasmalai from Shuddh Dairy. Founder Harman Singh shared that perfecting the dessert, a combination of cottage cheese dumplings in sweet milk syrup with cardamom and nuts, took nearly three years.

The honors were announced at the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show, coinciding with preparations for this year’s Royal Easter Show.