The crème de la crème of New Zealand cheese will be named soon at the 2012 Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards, New Zealand’s national cheese competition.

The awards are a celebration of local cheesemaking honouring technical excellence in the manufacture of New Zealand cheese. Now in its ninth year, the competition is set to be bigger and tougher than ever with a record number of New Zealand cheese companies entering cheeses for judging.

With four new cheesemakers, an increase in the use of mixed milk blends, the rise of Haloumi and washed rind cheeses as Kiwi favourites, and the use of cardoon (a thistle-like plant) as a coagulating agent, it is clear this year’s Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards will deliver surprising results.

Organiser of the 2012 Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards, Vikki Lee Goode, said; “It’s always an exciting time of the year when the entries start rolling in for judging. Nine years on and the calibre and variety of entries continues to impress – it looks like it’s going to be another tough contest for our judges.”

Judging will take place at The Langham in Auckland on February 26. A total of 28 expert assessors, including some of New Zealand’s most renowned food experts and writers, will consume and critique 430 different cheeses from 36 different cheese companies in the search for the nation’s best cheese.

The judging panel will be led by Master Judge Russell Smith, one of Australasia’s most experienced international cheese judges and a renowned cheese educationalist. Smith is no stranger to the Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards, having judged the competition for the last four years.

Every cheese will be examined by both a technical and an aesthetic judge and strictly graded to pre-determined bronze, silver and gold standards.

Judges will also determine a champion cheese in each of the 19 categories before selecting the two best overall cheeses in the competition to be named supreme winner of the Cuisine Artisan Award for small boutique producers, and the Yealands Estate Champion of Champions for larger producers.

While professional speciality cheesemakers represent the bulk of the entries, cheese made at home by enthusiastic hobbyists is a growing trend, with 17 entries received for the Homecrafted Cheese category from 10 different hobbyist cheesemakers throughout the country.

Goode said the team has already noted with interest some common themes among entries for this year’s Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards.

“The resurgence of mixed milk cheese varieties is part of an international trend that we are also witnessing here in New Zealand.  Cheeses made from goat, sheep, cow, buffalo milk and blends of these are all growing in popularity due to their complex flavour profiles.

“The increase in the number of buffalo cheese entries is very surprising given there are only two buffalo herds in New Zealand. The volume of buffalo milk produced is also variable given the temperamental nature of these animals which is a hurdle the cheesemaker must overcome,” she added.

“The volume of washed rind cheese entries with their distinctive ‘pungent’ smell reflects the maturing of Kiwi taste buds. Over the past decade, we have become more adventurous and so have our cheesemakers.”

The 2012 Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner at The Langham in Auckland on February 28.

The public are invited to sample and purchase award-winning cheeses at the ultimate event for cheese lovers, Monteith’s CheeseFest, which takes place at The Langham in Auckland from 5-9pm on February 29. Tickets for this event are available for $30 per person from www.eventfinder.co.nz.