The Supreme Winner of the fifth annual Vegan Society Vegan Cheese Awards is a delicious take on a goat cheese classic, chevre log rolled in pepper. The creamy nuanced plant-based cheese wowed the judges with its lovely tangy flavour, off set nicely with the heat of cracked pepper. Smooth and lovely mouth feel and very attractive on the plate.

The five judges had over 80 entries covering 12 different categories to apply their tasting palates to. Trying the huge varieties and covering all the different styles of dairy cheese is a tough chore, even for turophile Franco Sessa. With 24 years experience in the New Zealand specialty cheese industry, Franco was keen to see what a plant-based cheese has to offer. His work spans from large corporates to small artisan cheese boutiques, managing cheese making, procurement, supply chain, sales, marketing, export and executive management.

Tracy Berno is a Professor in Food Studies at AUT. She has worked in food for over 30 years in roles ranging from academic to presenting cooking classes and demonstrations to catering. Her judging experience was paired with Aaron Pucci, who has clocked up 25 years in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. His trusted palate has earned him numerous seats on judging panels for awards in New Zealand and Australia over 20 years.

The almighty and formidable vegan pie maker Jason Hay of Richoux Patisserie is also a veteran Vegan Pie Awards judge and joined the judging panel to find new cheeses for his pies! Vegan comedian Tom Sainsbury helped Jason and Franco conclude which cheeses were the best and deliver the news of these winners and runners up:

Supreme Winner

High Culture Cheese Bûche au Poivre

Feta

Winner Nudairy; Feta Block

Great presentation of colour and body with smooth texture, firm and creamy at the same time. A very clean lactic finish which resembles Danish feta

Runner up Epic Foods: Feta Rosemary & Garlic

Smooth and creamy with a well-balanced savoury flavour profile, and a finish of zesty citrus.

Cheese Soft

Winner High Culture Bûche au Poivre

Lovely tangy flavour, off set nicely with the heat of cracked pepper. Smooth and lovely mouth feel and very attractive on the plate.

Runner up Savour: Cumin

Great presentation of an excellent base cheese, carrying wonderful cumin and nigella notes.

Flavoured Cheese Board Cheese

Winner High Culture: Bûche a la Truffe

Good balance of flavours. Well crafted and very more-ish on the cheese board. So delicious.

Runner up Sonntag: Cumin

Good consistency and well-crafted. Flavours are well-balanced and lingering.

Cheese Spread

Winner Savour: Mint

A very light smooth texture with a fantastic mouth feel, the mint giving it a refreshing edge. Quite different but it works!

Runner up One Love Planet: Chilli Creama

Creamy and fresh with a good level of chilli. Perfect in your salad baguette!

Brie, Camembert and Blue Style

Winner One Love Planet: Bohemian Blue

Beautifully presented with flowers. Nice tangy bite and smooth consistency, looking great on a cheese board!

Runner up Let Them Eat Vegan: Plant-based Creamy Camembert Wedge

Beautiful colour with a nice melt in the mouth feel.

Innovation Category

Winner Nudairy: Feta Block

Nicely crafted cheese with a good balance of complex flavours. Firm to the knife and smooth to the palate.

Runner up Let Them Eat Vegan: Smoked Gouda Spread

Smooth, creamy and indulgent. A delight to scoop up with crudites.

Mozzarella

Winner Angel Food: Mozzarella

Stretchy and gooey - very tasty mozzarella. Great for pizza and toasties.

Runner up Zenzo: Mozzarella

A very delicious mozzarella.

Commercial Cheddar and Flavoured

Winner Epic Foods: Cumin Gouda

Nicely balanced attractive cheese with good texture and flavour of the cumin coming through. The cumin provides a great crunchy texture.

Runner up Epic Foods: Peri Peri Chilli Cheese

Attractive cheese with a spicy, chilli hit. Great on a toasted sandwich.

Commercial Cheddar

Winner Nudairy: Cheddar

Great creamy texture with well-balanced savoury and fruity flavours. Dense smooth and slightly pasty giving a good palate feel.

Runner up Epic: Cheddar Original

Good appearance and mild aroma, smooth and creamy with a pleasant lingering taste. Texture elastic

Cream Cheese Flavoured

Winner One Love Planet: Chevie Black Pepper & Dill

Great appearance with well distributed speckles of flavours. Very nice to spread. Good mouth melt with a clean mouth feel. Beautiful.

No runner up

Cream Cheese Plain

Winner Angel Food: Cream Cheese

Lives up to its name and is very close in flavour to dairy cream cheese with great texture.

Runner up Nudairy: Dairy Free Mascarpone

Very close to the winner: well-presented with great ivory colour.

Artisan Cheese

Winner One Love Planet: Karmasan

Tangy umami, rich cheese with texture that's perfect for crumbling over pasta or Caesar salad.

Runner up One Love Planet: Smoked Goudi

Delicious smoky paprika flavour, with great texture. Perfect on a cheese board

For more information about the Vegan Cheese Awards go to the website: https://vegansociety.org.nz/nz-vegan-cheese-awards/

More about the Vegan Society Aotearoa New Zealand:

The Vegan Society supports and facilitates a vegan lifestyle and plant-based eating by creating a vibrant, visible and influential community, and by providing resources and information.
For more information see our website www.vegansociety.org.nz
Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VegSocNZ
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