2024 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show honours the best in the industry with a record gold medal haul
Fine food has taken centre stage today with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) announcing the 38 Champion products of its 2024 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, with a mix of veteran entrants and new innovative products sharing the spotlight.
Judged over a three-week period, this year’s hotly contested Show saw awarded across seven competitions and 1400 entries, with two exhibitors taking home Champion Awards for multiple products.
Stapleton Family Meats was one of these exhibitors, with the family business winning Champion Ham for the second year running thanks to its Stapleton’s Own Full Leg Ham, as well as Champion Other Charcuterie Product for their ‘Stapleton’s Own Jalapeno and Cheddar Kransky’.
Renowned olive oil producer, Cobram Estate also took home multiple awards winning Champion Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Commercial Volume) with the Cobram Estate Ultra Premium Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Champion Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Commercial Volume) with the Cobram Estate Light Flavour Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Chair of the RAS Fine Food Committee, Michael Bullen, said it was exciting for both the competition, and the wider fine food industry, to see exhibitor numbers returning to pre-covid times.
“We were delighted with the increase in exhibitors across the whole Show, with some individual competitions receiving 30 or 40% more entries than last year”, Bullen said.
“Competitions like the Sydney Royal are vital to the Australian food and beverage industry as they allow producers to benchmark their products against industry standards, which then helps drive product quality.
“I am proud to say that this year there was strong competition across all categories, particularly in branded meat where 98% of entrants won a gold, silver, or bronze medal. In recent years, the industry has seen a focus on sustainability, productivity and better management practices, and we are really seeing this reflected in the high quality of meat that Australia is producing.”
A great example of this exceptional quality is Stockyard Beef who came out on top this year, taking home the coveted Dick Stone Perpetual Trophy for Branded Meat Grand Champion Exhibit with their premium Wagyu Beef - ‘kiwami by Stockyard’. Gumshire Pork also followed up their wins at the Sydney Royal Pig Show in April with the Champion Pork Award for their Hampshire Pork Loin, demonstrating a successful paddock to plate journey.
The 2024 Show saw a number of new classes and additional Champion Awards introduced to cater for the increasing range of diverse products that have been entering the consumer market in recent years.
New classes introduced this year included categories such as Champion Plant Based Product which went to Mandolé Orchard for its Smooth Unsalted Australian Almond Butter and Champion Drink which was won by Wild Mother Tasmania for its Wild Mother Tasmania Raspberry Shrub, a zero-alcohol aperitif syrup.
Coffee lovers can also rest assured that they can get world-class coffee right from our backyard, with both Crater Mountain Coffee, and Mountain Top Coffee Estate receiving gold medals in the Piccolo and Plunger categories respectively. However, it was Mountain Top Coffee Estate which came out on top winning Champion Coffee with its Nimbin Blend.
Since 2021, all coffee products entering the competition have been required to be 100% Australian grown, staying true to the RAS charter and vision.
“We continue to see new and innovative products entering the market, ultimately driven by consumer demand for alternative options, and this is particularly reflected in our Specialty Foods competition which has seen 60% growth since 2019. It’s important that these products and producers are given the space to shine, and the opportunity to receive feedback from experienced judges within the industry”, Bullen said.
“We have a rigorous, world leading judging process, and it is a credit to all the judges and stewards involved that the Sydney Royal’s high standards are maintained year upon year”.
All 2024 Sydney Royal Fine Food Champions are listed below. Full results (including gold, silver & bronze medals) can be found at the RAS Website.
“I would encourage everyone to explore this year’s RAS Fine Food, Wine, Beer and Cider, and Distilled Spirits results and use this to select products for their next get together or to create the perfect Christmas Hamper”, Bullen said.
2024 Sydney Royal Fine Food Champions
Aquaculture:
Champion Pacific or Native Oyster:
Angel Oysters Australia for its Angel Seafood Whole Live Pacific Oysters - Bistro
Branded Meats:
Champion Lamb:
Midfield Meats International Pty Ltd for its Midfield Meat International ‘246’ Grassfed Lamb Rack
Champion Pork:
Gumshire Pork for its Gumshire Pork Hampshire Pork Loin
Champion Beef:
Stockyard Beef Pty Ltd for its kiwami by Stockyard
Champion Poultry:
Inglewood Organic for its Inglewood Organic Chicken
Branded Meat Grand Champion (The Dick Stone Perpetual Trophy for Branded Meat Grand Champion Exhibit):
Stockyard Beef Pty Ltd for its kiwami by Stockyard
Oil & Olives:
Champion Boutique Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
W2Olives, produced by Jenny Masters & Geoffrey Treloar, for its W2Olives Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Champion Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Commercial Volume:
Cobram Estate Olives for its Cobram Estate Ultra Premium Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500mL
Champion Blended Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Commercial Volume:
Cobram Estate Olives for its Cobram Estate Light Flavour Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500mL
Champion Flavoured or Culinary Oil:
Noosa Black Garlic for its Noosa Black Garlic - Black Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 200mL
Champion Table Olives:
Gooramadda Olives for its Gooramadda Olives Kalamata
Pasta:
Champion Fresh Pasta:
Mancini Pasta for its Mancini Pasta Fresh Pappardelle
Champion Filled Pasta:
Pasta Di Porto Pty Ltd for its Local Smoked Trout, Parsley & Lemon Zest Ravioli in Squid Ink Pasta
Champion Gnocchi Pasta:
Bianco for its Bianco Pantry – Goats Cheese & Chive Gnocconi – 4x80g
Professional Bakery:
Champion Bread:
Slowbreads Roseville for its White Sourdough
Champion Cake:
The Gumnut Patisserie for its ChocoBerry Swirl
Champion Biscuit:
Three Mills Bakery for its Three Mills Bakery Salted Chocolate Rye Cookie
Champion Pastry:
Hungerford Meat Co, produced by MR Charcuterie for its MR Charcuterie Pork Pie
Best Professional Bakery Apprentice/Student Exhibit:
Hearthe, Apprentice James Hammond, for the White Sourdough/Rye Caraway Sourdough with Saltbush/Whole Wheat Sourdough with Sprouted Rye
Smallgoods & Charcuterie:
Champion Bacon:
Boks Bacon for its Pure Bacon Streaky Dry Cured Bacon
Champion Ham:
Stapleton Family Meats Gymea for its Stapleton’s Own Full Leg Ham
Champion Salami Type Product:
Goose on the Loose, produced by Montecatini Specialty Smallgoods Pty Ltd, for its Goose on the Loose Duck & Citrus with Cracked Pepper
Champion Dried or Cured Product:
Andrews Meat Industries, produced by De Palma, for its Tajima Wagyu Bresaola
Champion Jerky or Biltong Type Product:
Bellbrook Salami and Charcuterie for its Bellbrook Salami and Charcuterie – Traditional Hand Crafted Beef Jerky – 40g
Champion Other Charcuterie Product (Annual Trophy supported by NSW Food Authority):
Stapleton Family Meats Gymea for its Stapleton’s Own Jalapeno, and Cheddar, Kransky
Champion Chorizo Product:
La Boqueria for its La Boqueria Chorizo Contrabando
Champion Fresh Sausage (The Champion Fresh Sausage Perpetual Trophy, donated by Graham J Crouch):
The British Sausage Company for its British Pork & Chunky Apple Sausages
Specialty Foods:
Champion Sweet:
Holy Nuts for its Holy Nuts; Hazelnut Chocolate Spread; 200gr
Champion Savoury:
Noosa Chutney Company for its Noosa Relish Tomato
Champion Pickled or Fermented:
Edomura Australia Pty Ltd. trading as Rice Culture for its Rice Culture Organic Aka (Red) Miso
Champion Vinegar:
Kookaberry trading as A.F Caltieri for its Kookaberry Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
Champion Smoked or Cured Aquaculture:
By Kai for its By Kai Whole Smoked Trout
Champion Other Aquaculture Product:
Yumbah Aquaculture for its Kinkawooka Fresh, Live Blue Mussels
Champion Chocolate or Confectionary:
Tom & Sully’s for its Tom & Sully’s Perfect Peanut Brittle 100g
Champion Drinks:
Wild Mother Tasmania for its Wild Mother Tasmania Raspberry Shrub 500mL
Champion Plant Based Product:
Mandolé Orchard for its Mandolé Orchard Smooth Unsalted Australian Almond Butter
Champion Other Specialty Foods:
Smoketrap Eels for its Smoketrap Eels Fresh Water Eel Pate
Champion Coffee:
Mountain Top Coffee Estate, produced by Bernard Rooney, for its Nimbin Blend
For further information or high-res images, please contact:
Samantha Cannings
Communications & Public Relations Executive
M: 0411 864 836
Nicola Dalby
Manager – Communications & Public Relations
M: 0434 579 906
E: ndalby@rasnsw.com.au
