Mundella champion of dairy

Judges have nibbled, spooned, sipped and licked their way through 377 entries in the dairy competition for this year's IGA Perth Royal Show.

A WA product took out the top prize, with the judges naming Mundella Foods' Greek Honey Yoghurt the champion dairy product for the show.

Canberra-based international cheese judge Russell Smith said there were some excellent entries, and the goat and sheep milk products were of a high quality. He singled out Cambray Sheep Cheese's prize-winning product for praise.

"It was outstanding. They did a brilliant job. I haven't seen such a good sheep milk product in Australia in the last three or four years," he said.

Mundella Foods also came in for a special mention. "As usual, their yoghurts were just superb, with the Greek Honey Yoghurt proving to be exceptional," Mr Smith said.

Mundella Foods chief executive David Day was delighted with the win, saying it was the first time for the Mundijong-based dairy company had been awarded the champion dairy product.

"For our Greek Honey Yoghurt to be triumphant over a very competitive field of cheeses, ice-creams, milks and other yoghurts is a fantastic achievement," he said.

Dairy Awards *

·Champion bovine cheese: _Jindi Cheese, Old Telegraph Road Baw Baw Blue _

·Best ripened cheese with eye formation: _Jindi Cheese, Old Telegraph Road Mount Ash _

·Best fresh unripened cheese with no added flavour: _Borrello Cheese, Provoletta _

·Best soft cheese, dessert style with added flavour: _Borrello Cheese, Baked Ricotta _

·Best feta cheese with added flavour: _Casa Dairy Products, Feta Basil Pesto _

·Best soft cheese with added savoury flavour: _Ringwould Dairy, Cow's Milk Labneh _

·Best firm cheese other than feta with added flavour: _King Island Dairy, Stokes Point Smoked Cheddar _

·Best retail pack, aged cheddar six months and over: _ Lion, Cracker Barrel Special Reserve Vintage Cheddar _

· Best cheese varieties not included in classes 1 to 12, with no added flavour: _Lion, Mil Lel Superior Romano _

·Best feta cheese with no added flavour: _Lion, South Cape Greek Style Fetta _

·Best cheese products made from other than cows milk: _Cambray Sheep Cheese, Farmhouse Gold Dutch Style Cheese Under 12 Months (sheep milk) _

·Champion unflavoured milk: _Brownes Dairy, Brownes Heart Plus Milk _

·Champion flavoured milk: _Bannister Downs, chocolate flavoured low fat milk _

·Pasteurised whole milk: _Bannister Downs, Farm Fresh Milk _

·Best pasteurised cream: _Bannister Downs, Double Cream _

·Best non-frozen dairy dessert: _King Island Dairy, Crème Dessert Belgian Chocolate _

·Best frozen dairy dessert: _Il Gelato, Mini 'Piccolo' Cones _

·Champion yoghurt: _Mundella Foods, Greek Honey Yoghurt _

·Best yoghurt with more than 3 per cent fat, with only real fruit: _Mundella Foods, Greek Blueberry Blitz _

·Best yoghurt with no added flavour: _Mundella Foods, Greek Natural Yoghurt _

·Best yoghurt with less than 3 per cent fat, with product other than real fruit: _Mundella Foods, Reduced Fat Vanilla Yoghurt _

·Champion ice-cream/gelati: _Simmo's Icecreamery, Bitter Choc with a Mascarpone and Orange Zest Swirl _

·Ice-cream/gelati flavoured with products other than real fruit or solely vanilla: _Azzura Gelati, Azzura Butterscotch _

·Champion chocolate: _Nakamura Chocolates, Dark Selection _ _Box _