Bowenville State School was last month crowned cheese-making champions at the Brisbane Showgrounds in the Ekka’s Student-Made Cheese competition.
The grade one to six students topped the mold-ripened cheese – blue class for their ‘Bowenville Billycan Blue’ entry.
And, they placed third for their white mold-ripened cheese called ‘Creamy Creekside Camembert’.
Renowned dairy expert and chief judge Russell Smith said the winning entry was unusual because it was a surface-ripened blue cheese.
“There’s no blue in the middle but the blue mold on the outside has penetrated the cheese enough to give it a gorgeous flavour – not very strong, very mild, but a beautiful balance of blue flavour,’’ he said.
Bowenville acting principal Emily Potts said the school’s 15 students all participated in cheese-making, which was offered as part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program.
“It integrates well with our science program and we wanted to expand on our learnings from that by looking at the process behind the formation of mold,” she said.
“We live in a farming area and I think it’s really special for the children to be able to see the whole cheese-making process, starting with milk. They can connect it back to the raw product.
“Cheese-making isn’t an easy process. It takes a lot of time and effort from our dedicated students.
“But, I think they get a lot out of it and when they see the final result, which they present to their families and community members, it’s a proud moment for them.”
Pimpama State Secondary College also starred at the Ekka, winning gold for its mold-ripened cheese – white entry titled ‘Say Cheese.’
In all, the competition attracted 124 white cheeses and 23 blue cheeses for judging from 24 schools, with Pimpama’s camembert entry rated a class above.
Mr Smith said the quality of the winning camembert was as good – or better – than anything available commercially.
“It’s superb, a really good camembert cheese,’’ he said.
“The teachers and students that produced it should be really proud because it’s as good as it gets.’’
Meanwhile, Tullawong State High School was crowned champion for its cabernet in the Agricultural Sciences and Student Fermented Beverages competition.
Mr Smith described the entry as an “excellent wine” and probably the best he had judged in the decade-long student competition.
‘It’s a very good cabernet, both the chief judge, Heather Smyth and I said we’d be quite happy to take that home,’’ he said.
Over three days, the judges tasted their way through 147 cheeses and 26 beverages that 25 Queensland schools had entered.
2022 WINNERS
STUDENT-MADE CHEESE
Class 1 – Mold-Ripened Cheese – White
1st Place: Pimpama State Secondary College for ‘Say cheese’ by Lily Crabb & Alysia McMahon.
2nd Place: Beenleigh State High School for ‘Cheese the day’ by Group L # 3.
3rd Place: Bowenville State School for its ‘Creamy Creekside Camembert’.
Class 2 – Mold-Ripened Cheese – Blue
1st Place: Bowenville State School for its ‘Bowenville Billycan Blue’.
2nd Place: Caboolture State High School for ‘Cheese’ by Jackson.
3rd Place: Caboolture State High School for ‘Veina Cava’.
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES & STUDENT FERMENTED BEVERAGES
CHAMPION SCHOOL: Tullawong State High School for its Team #5 – Cabernet.
RESERVE CHAMPION SCHOOL: Tullawong State High School for its Team #1 – Shiraz.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Flagstone State Community College for its Stone Fruit Wine by Lauren and Cameron.
