|
Local dairy products lead way at Ekka |
|
Written by Administrator
|
|
Friday, 26 August 2005 |
Maleny's dairy producers have picked up a swag of awards at the
Brisbane Ekka in the gelati, cheese and yoghurt categories. Colin
James Fine Foods won two gold and eight silver medals.
Col's famous Hazelnut Roche won one of the gold medals and was also judged Grand Champion Dairy Desert
| | Col's Berry Delight and his famous Hazelnut Roche won gold medals at the Brisbane Ekka last week. |
in the section. Berry Delight also won a gold. Judging was tough with 28 entrants across the section but only four gold medals issued.
Interestingly, Col's products were entered in the gelati section this year where in past years they have been in the ice cream section. The difference is that gelati contains less fat and more product. "Gelati is lower in fat and lower in air,'' Col said, who advises that commercial ice cream is about 50 percent air. "Two litres of base makes about 2.6 litres of gelati, whereas two litres of base makes about four litres of ice cream,'' he said.
"But gelati tastes creamier because it hasn't got so much air in it. It's dearer too. Again, that's because there's less air, which is probably the cheapest ingredient you can put in,'' he joked. Even though it tastes creamier, Col said gelati contained less fat at six to seven percent compared with commercial ice cream's 12 percent.
What's Col's favourite flavour? "If I really had to pick one I'd say Irish Cream. We got a silver for Irish Cream at the Ekka." Markus Bucher of Maleny Cheese said his company won 20 medals at the Ekka. "We won a couple of golds, six or seven silver and the rest bronze I think,'' he said.
But what he was really excited about was a win in the Australia Specialty Cheese-makers Association Awards in Melbourne recently. "We were compared with all the specialty cheeses in Australia,'' he said. "There are over 300 judged and we won gold in the Washed Rind Category with our Maleny Reblochon. That to me was a big thing and it was well worth all the time and effort involved.
"We were competing against big cheese companies like King Island and Lactos. They are the biggest specialty cheese-makers in Australia. King Island was doing about 1500 tonnes of cheese a year and Lactos much the same. That's compared to us - we do maybe 40 tonnes."
Meanwhile, fellow dairy industry colleague Maleny Dairies won three out of three medals at the Ekka.
"We entered three products. Our apricot yoghurt won silver. Our natural yoghurt won gold and our strawberry yoghurt won gold and our strawberry also won Champion Yoghurt,'' owner Ross Hopper said.
Mr Hopper was thrilled with the Champion Yoghurt Award, which surpassed their previous successes at the Ekka. Mr Hopper said yoghurt was selling strongly and was proud his small operation did so well up against products from large companies.
|
Range News 2005 - ON 
