French awards for Irish cheeses
Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers won the super gold medal for its Crozier Blue and silver medal for Cashel Blue, while The Little Milk Company took the gold medal for its Slievenamon Vintage Cheddar plus two bronze medals, one each for its Brewers Gold and its Cream Cheese with fresh basil pesto.
“The fact that Irish farmhouse cheeses have taken five awards in France is a great recognition for Ireland,” said Sergio Furno of Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers. “We are over the moon to get this recognition. Our Crozier Blue won an award in Italy around 10 years ago for best sheep’s milk cheese, but these awards are judged by leading cheese industry people from all over the world.
“France produces some of the world’s best known cheeses. They have the widest range and the greatest number of cheeses in the world. To win an award there, when we were up against some of the world’s best known cheeses, is a great feather in our cap.”
The Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager 2015 title went to Fabien Degoulet, a Frenchman who has been producing cheese in Japan for several years. Some 600 cheese products from 20 countries entered, with French, US and Japanese entrants prominent winners.
The judging panel was chaired by Rodolphe Barthélémy, president of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. The two Irish winners were selected by a panel of 10 judges, who had to reach a consensus opinion on every award selection.
“It’s the World Cup of cheese,” said Conor Mulhall, of The Little Milk Company, a co-op of organic dairy farmers in Munster and Leinster. “Winning a gold medal in France is fantastic.
“We have won around 25 awards in Ireland and UK in the past year or two, but this is the first time we entered a competition further afield. This award will help us with our exports into the French market, and it is also a great pat on the back for our team of cheese producers.”
All of The Little Milk Company’s suppliers are family-owned farms which use organic farming methods.
The co-op’s herds include a mix of Jersey and Montbeliarde cows, selected for their quality of milk.
Since 2011, the co-op has been using only this milk to create cheeses which are handmade and hand-turned using traditional cheesemaking techniques.
