A mozzarella has walked away as the big cheese at the SA Dairy Championships

A mozzarella made exclusively for Woolworths has been named Product of the Year in the recent competition

01 June 2023 - 07:59
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An Ayrshire mozzarella is named South African Dairy Product of the Year.
An Ayrshire mozzarella is named South African Dairy Product of the Year.
Image: Supplied

I adore cheese and am sure many share my sentiment. Strong-flavoured cheeses are my weakness, but when it comes to mozzarella, I can't say it's one of my favourites. That said, a pizza without gooey strings of the mozzarella for all the world is not a pizza in my books.

When a mozzarella was named the top dairy product in South Africa for 2023 it got me wondering: beyond pizza, where does mozzarella really shine? A summery Caprese salad would be nothing without the mozzarella to bounce off the flavour of the seasonal tomato and basil. I use mozzarella as a stuffing to jazz up chicken fillets where, with a dollop of pesto, it keeps the breast succulent. And mozzarella and pasta are a culinary match made in heaven; the subtlety of the cheese adds gooeyness to the silky pasta.

Its creamy, soft and caramelised flavour is out of the books
Alan Fourie, chief judge, SA Dairy Championships

Whatever your thoughts on mozzarella, the 80 judges at the prestigious SA Dairy Championships said the cheese made from Ayrshire cows' milk shone over and above the 929 dairy products from the 71 South African producers they tasted at the 190th edition of the competition.

Dairy expert and chief judge Alan Fourie of the oldest and biggest dairy competition in Africa said of the winning cheese: “For a product to be chosen as Product of the Year in a competition of this nature is the dream of every dairy producer. This particular cheese is an exceptional pizza mozzarella and worthy of this accolade.”

He described the mozzarella made by RFG Foods (Rhodes Food Group) exclusively for Woolworths as a “firm and smooth cheese with a slightly creamy appearance that grates well and melts perfectly. Its creamy, soft and caramelised flavour is out of the books”.

The winning mozzarella is made by a small artisanal cheese team under the guidance of cheesemaker Kerwick Boonzaaier and is part of the RFG Foods in the Cape. Their promise is they make the cheese by hand using quality Ayrshire milk and describe their product as “creating a mozzarella cheese that is on par with the best in the world”.

Now you can be the judge: it is sold at Woolworths in 600g packs and costs R109.99.



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