Queensland can lay claim to being the cheese and ice cream capital of Australia, dominating the field in the hunt for the nation’s finest produce at the Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday 17 May.
Australia’s best beef, lamb, cheese, dairy, ice cream, gelato, sorbet, barramundi and prawns were crowned from a total of 465 entries, in the RNA’s prestigious Royal Queensland Awards supported by King Street.
Blackall Gold Washed Rind, produced by the Sunshine Coast’s Woombye Cheese, was named Australia’s best cheese while Wicked Ice Cream from Port Douglas took the title of Australia’s best ice cream for their Coconut Delight sorbet.
2024 Grand Champion Cheese or Dairy Product of Show winner Woombye Cheese has won Champion Queensland Cheese or Dairy Product of Show for its Blackall Gold Washed Rind for three years running (2022, 2023 and 2024), while Wicked Ice Cream has proven itself to be one of the nation’s finest ice cream producers, winning three of the five major awards this year.
Chief Judge of the Royal Queensland Cheese and Dairy Awards and Royal Queensland Ice Cream, Gelato and Sorbet Awards Russell Smith said the standard of the entries in the ice cream competition was exceptional and world-class.
“The winning Coconut Delight sorbet from Wicked Ice Cream is just superb. It has a beautiful balance of flavours between the freshness of the coconut and the underlying salt level,” he said.
Mr Smith said Woombye Cheese’s Blackall Gold Washed Rind was the cheesemaker’s best yet.
“Woombye Cheese was the Grand Champion back in 2022 and they have reclaimed the title this year because their washed rind entry boasts exactly the flavour profile we are looking for in this style of cheese,” he said.
Chief Judge of the Royal Queensland Branded Beef and Lamb Awards presented by Rabobank Elaine Millar said the beef competition, won by Andrews Meat Industries from Lidcombe, New South Wales, provided a magnificent judging experience across all classes.
“The champion W. Black showcased outstanding qualities – textbook marbling, perfect tasting yet retained juiciness, melt in the mouth firm silky tenderness and beautifully well-balanced complex flavours from caramel popcorn, creamy pureed macadamia through to the umami richness of Shiitake mushrooms,” she said.
“The exceptional beef entries reinforce Australia’s position as a leader in the international beef market.”
Ms Millar said Tasmanian sourced lamb was proving tough to beat with producers from the state winning Grand Champion Branded Lamb of Show in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
“Australia’s best lamb for 2024, Tasmanian Quality Meats Trade Lamb, delivered superb rich complex flavours and fine pate`-like textures, resulting in a generous mouthfeel. The stunning juiciness and tenderness are obviously the result of the superb marbling throughout.
“Our retail and food service industries and ultimately the end diner are the beneficiaries of Australia’s dedicated beef and lamb producers who continue to excel within a diversity of regions and breeds of cattle.”
Entries in the Branded Beef and Lamb competitions were up 21 per cent on last year.
Chief Judge of the inaugural Royal Aquaculture Awards, John Susman said the introduction of the new competition celebrated excellence in one of the fastest growing sectors of agribusiness.
“The Aquaculture Awards launched with the Farmed Prawn and Barramundi classes and the winning entries underwent a rigorous assessment based on quality, flavour and presentation,” he said.
“The competition honours the efforts of aquaculture farmers from around Australia and we are looking to grow it in future years with the planned introduction of other farmed fish varieties.”
Some of the award-winning products will be showcased on the Royal Queensland Cooking Stage at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) which is now just 85 days away.
