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Kapiti Kikorangi Scoops Supreme Award at NZ Cheese Awards

Tuesday 22 March 2011, 11:02AM

By Fonterra

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Kikorangi Moon
Kikorangi Moon Credit: Fonterra

One of New Zealand’s best known and most-loved cheese brands, Kapiti, has won a slew of awards at this year’s Cuisine NZ Champions of Cheese Awards. Four Kapiti cheeses were named champions in their respective categories and one cheese was singled out as the supreme champion, above hundreds of entries.

Kapiti’s king of cheeses, Kapiti Kikorangi was awarded the Yealands Estate Champion of Champions Award, the industry’s top award for cheese making excellence in this year’s competition.

Awards Master Judge Russell Smith said the standard of entries for New Zealand blue cheese is always high and this year was no exception. “New Zealand does blue cheese very well so there was a lot of competition, however Kikorangi had the winning edge.

“It ticked all the boxes for me as a supreme award winning cheese,” said Smith. “Kapiti Kikorangi has been brilliantly made to ensure the blue mould is evenly distributed throughout the cheese. The balance of acid and sweet has been mastered and as a result it presents a wonderful piquancy alongside a smooth creamy finish. It really is a stunning blue.”

Kapiti Kikorangi, the Maori word for ‘sky blue’, was first introduced in the early nineties at a time when specialty cheeses were relatively new to New Zealand. It found immediate popularity and is now one of New Zealand’s best known blue cheeses.

Fonterra Brands general manager of specialty cheese, Mark Bosomworth, said the company was proud that Kapiti Kikorangi was selected from hundreds of great speciality cheeses to take out the top honours this year.

“Kikorangi is made by the talented blue cheese making team at our factory in Eltham. It has the benefit of more than 50 years of expertise in making the best blues in the country.

“There’s something about the creamy mouth feel of Kapiti Kikorangi that sets it apart from all other contenders. It’s a great reflection of the dedication and passion our cheese makers have for their craft.”

In addition to the supreme award, Kapiti Kikorangi was singled out for the Champion Export Cheese Award, while Kapiti Ramara won the Champion Washed Rind Cheese category. Kapiti Traditional Camembert was named the winner of the Champion New Cheese category and yet another Kapiti blue, Kapiti Kahurangi Creamy Blue, took out the Champion Original Cheese Award.

Other cheeses made by Fonterra Brands NZ received recognition with gold medal wins including Kapiti Tuteremoana Cheddar, Mainland Parmesan, Mainland Special Reserve Eltham Blue and Mainland Special Reserve Mint Haloumi. 

KAPITI KIKORANGI 

Champion of Champions Award

Champion Export Cheese Award 

  • Kapiti’s king of cheeses
  • Kapiti Kikorangi is a triple cream blue with a rich golden curd and creamy texture marbled with blue veining
  • A creamy, melting texture in the mouth cheese, with a well balanced, savoury blue flavour, which slowly fades to a pleasant peppery aftertaste
  • Its flavour continues to develop as it ages, to create a smoother taste with increasing depth and character
  • Kikorangi means sky blue in Maori

KAPITI RAMARA 

Champion Washed Rind Cheese Award 

  • Rama means sun and ra means light in Maori
  • This washed rind cheese is made from 100% cow’s milk, and is still made today in the style originally pioneered by the Trappist monks 
  • The body is soft, smooth and creamy when young and almost flowing when    mature
  • The taste has earthy-yeasty notes which intensify as the cheese ages
  • Washed rind cheeses are renowned for their strong, highly pungent aromas

KAPITI TRADITIONAL CAMEMBERT 

Champion New Cheese Award 

  • A limited edition cheese. Available over the Easter period from selected supermarkets from 28 March until early May
  • A traditional French-style camembert, its authentic French cultures help to give it an earthy aroma and a gentle, field-mushroomy flavour
  • Each cheese is made, wrapped, and labelled by hand
  • Kapiti Traditional Camembert has a smooth and flowing texture, surrounding a chalky centre which slowly disappears as the cheese matures
  • Each cheese is matured for 10 days before release, and has a short shelf life of 42 days. The cheese will continue to mature and change throughout its life

KAPITI KAHURANGI CREAMY BLUE 

Champion Original Cheese Award 

  • A true classic Kapiti cheese - every piece a New Zealand original
  • Kahurangi means creamy blue in Maori
  • A delightfully smooth and very creamy blue cheese with delicate blue veining, inspired by its name
  • Kapiti Kahurangi has a fine texture and is extremely versatile

More Gold Medal Winning Performers... 
 

KAPITI TUTEREMOANA CHEDDAR 

Champion Original NZ Cheese Gold Medal 

  • Aged 3-4 years, this mature cheddar has a zesty bite and firm, crumbly body
  • Tuteremoana Cheddar comes in a triangular log shape encased in black wax

 

OUR GOLD MEDAL WINNING CHEESES 

MAINLAND PARMESAN 

Gold Medal Winner: European Style Cheese  

  • Pale whitish yellow in colour, with a mature sharp flavour
  • It has a rich deep piquant taste, which gives it a pleasant sharpness and a clean aftertaste
  • A hard, dry cheese with a slightly grainy texture that is firm to the bite 
  • Ideal as a flavoursome garnish to pastas and other Italian dishes

MAINLAND SPECIAL RESERVE MINT HALOUMI 

Gold Medal Winner: New Cheese 

  • A fresh style cheese originally from Cyprus and made in New Zealand
  • Pale white in colour, with a firm, springy texture that cuts cleanly
  • The texture remains firm and holds its shape even under high heat, making it perfect for grilling, frying or barbequing
  • When barbecued, it develops a delicious golden brown exterior, and the flavours intensify

MAINLAND SPECIAL RESERVE ELTHAM BLUE 

Gold Medal Winner: Cheese Packaging 

  • Mainland Special Reserve Eltham Blue is a perfectly balanced creamy blue cheese which is densely textured and patterned with traces of subtle blue mould
  • Mainland Special Reserve Eltham Blue is produced in the pioneering Taranaki town of Eltham
  • Eltham is the home of blue cheese in New Zealand; the first non-cheddar cheese variant produced in the country was a blue vein manufactured in 1951
  • Available in a half-moon shape, wrapped in foil with an outer sleeve