Cheese & Dairy Competition History

Cheese and dairy products have a long competition history at the Show that dates back more than 150 years.

 

The section assumed its current form as the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show in 1993, but classes for butter and cheese were first recorded in the 1858 prize schedule. Cheese received no entries that year, but first prize for six pounds of fresh butter went to William Harvey of Hoxton Park, and first prize for a keg of salt butter went to William Harvie of Liverpool.

 

Cheese and butter classes continued to feature at the Show under different competition banners, but milk-related classes were not introduced until the 1870s. During this decade, classes for preserved milk and best method of preserving milk appeared, although entries were few. Some entries for condensed milk were received, but what the form the other entries of preserved milk took is unknown.

 

Ice-cream was first judged in 1909 in the Food section under the class ‘Any food not specified’.

 

After WWII, classes for dried milk, yoghurt, dairy desserts, and flavoured milk began to appear, but plain, fresh, pasteurised and homogenised milk was not judged until 2002.

 

Initially the Dairy competition was run as a sub-section of the Farm Produce Section, but in 1907 it became its own entity for the first time – in name, at least. Over the years an array of other products continued to be exhibited alongside dairy classes. These included: ham, bacon, lard, honey, and chocolate. Chocolate was the last of these to separate away, becoming a discreet competition in 2013.

 

Today the Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Show is one of the most prestigious and competitive events in the dairy industry. Products judged include an extensive range of cheeses, milk, butter, ice-cream and gelato, sorbet, yoghurt, cream, dairy desserts as well as sheep, goat, camel, and buffalo milk products.

 

Currently there are seven perpetual trophies awarded in this section including the oldest: the Australian Dairy Corporation Perpetual Trophy, first awarded in 1993; and the Bega Cheese Perpetual Trophy introduced in 2002.

 

Timeline

1858                     First cheese and butter classes at the Show. No entries received for cheese. First prize for six pounds of fresh butter awarded to William Harvey of Hoxton Park; first prize for a keg of salt butter to William Harvie of Liverpool.

1861                     Prizes given for fresh and salted butter, and cheese (cream cheese).

1867                     Prizes awarded for butter.

1869                     Cheese and butter classes appear under the Farm Produce section from this point onwards.

1870                     In a section called ‘Food – Fresh, Preserved, and in various States of Preservation’, classes appear for Preserved Milk, and Best Method of Preserving Milk. No entries received in this first year.

1873                     Entry of condensed pure milk received in the ‘Fatty Substances’ class in the Food Section.

1875                     Fatty Substances class changes to ‘Fatty substances – Lard, and best method of preserving butter, Milk, and Eggs’. Condensed milk is recorded as one of the entries.

1876                     Preserved milk entries received for the above class.

1907                     Dairy Produce becomes its own section away from Farm Produce.  It contains classes for butter, cheese, ham, bacon, and lard.

1909-1912      First entries of ice-cream appear in the Food section under the class, ‘Any food not specified’.

1951                     Dried milk becomes part of the Dairy Produce section.

1962                     Apiculture joins the Dairy Produce section.

1969                     Introduction of classes for ‘Cultured Milk Products’, i.e., yogurt.

1974                     Sour cream, and cultured buttermilk classes added.

1984                     Custard is judged for the first time.

1988                     Cream is judged for the first time.

1990                     Ice-cream and desert classes added.

1991                     Other dairy desserts, new & novel dairy product classes introduced.

1992                     Long-life milk and flavoured milk classes added.

1993                     Apiculture, Hams, Bacon and Smallgoods separate away from the Dairy Produce Section.

1993                     Frozen yoghurt introduced.

1994                     Frozen dairy dessert, ice confection (including cheesecake and ice cream cakes),

and fromage frais classes added.

1995                     Chocolate is added to the Dairy Produce section, but splits away in 2013 to become its own competition.

1996                     Non-bovine products added – goat milk, goat milk cheese, ewe milk cheese, ewe milk.

1998                     Gelato becomes a class of its own (previously under an ice confection class).

1999                     Fermented milk drinks introduced.

2002                     Pasteurised homogenised milk classes added.

2003                     Buffalo milk classes added.

2006                     Cultured milk beverage introduced.

2013                     Haloumi gets its own class.

2018                     Camel milk introduced.