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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 on |
| 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 are 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 |