Crackers about cheese

The Langham marked the opening of their new Great Room with Cheesefest 2010, a celebration of New Zealand’s greatest cheeses, and a delicious night out with over 400 cheeses in one grand room with all-you-can-eat cheese on offer…

The Langham marked the opening of their new Great Room with Cheesefest 2010, a celebration of New Zealand’s greatest cheeses, and a delicious night out.

With over 400 cheeses in one grand room, cheese makers from all over New Zealand gathered to offer their wares to an enthusiastic crowd. With all-you-can-eat cheese on offer, the focus was to sample as many appetising cheeses as possible.

It’s great to see hobbyist and boutique cheese producers alongside the dairy giants, with all sizes of cheese company represented as category winners for the Cuisine Champion of Cheese Awards.

Many of the smaller producers have no stockists in Auckland, and were keen to encourage guests to demand their products at the local deli.

Below: guests nibble on cheese in the Great Room at the Langham.

Favourites among our group were Kapiti’s Cheddar and Meyer Gouda Cheese’s Vintage Gouda. Clevedon Valley’s buffalo yoghurt was amazing, and Puhoi Valley’s Feta is also excellent. Several companies, like Aroha Organic, specialized in goat’s cheese, which was surprisingly tasty, although we weren’t so convinced about the sheep’s cheese.

Below: This chess board brings new meaning to ‘cheeseboard’

Mainland Special Reserve Creamy Blue, produced by the blue cheesemaking team at the Eltham site in Taranaki, won the Champion of Champions Award for large cheesemakers, the industry’s top award. Other Kapiti gold medal winners from the Awards include the Kapiti Kahurangi Creamy Blue and Kapiti Mt Hector goats’ cheese.

The Cuisine Artisan Award winners were also on display. With Yealand’s Estate wines, gourmet breads, fruit pates, and the delicious Maggie’s Horseradish, the event was an excellent way to showcase New Zealand’s delicious culinary contributions, as well as a great opportunity for emerging cheese producers to share their name and product with the public.

Below: J. Friend & Co. honey

Below: Chorizo sausage tasting at Mariano’s.

Guests left Cheesefest very full of cheese and determined to get their favourites supplied to their local.

By Jane Apperley, 3 March 2010