Champions of the 2025 RAS Fine Food Show earlier this month, among them five from the Southern NSW region. Photo: RAS.
Producers from Southern NSW commanded attention at the 2025 Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) Fine Food Show, claiming champion titles and highlighting the region’s standing as a centre of culinary excellence.
The Fine Food Show attracted 1657 national entries across 72 classes spanning seven competitions: aquaculture, branded meats, oils and olives, professional bakery, pasta, smallgoods and charcuterie, and specialty foods.
More than 81 hours – or a solid month of judging – involved 110 experts, from chefs and manufacturers to food scientists, with results announced in Sydney earlier this month.
In total, judges awarded 312 gold, 549 silver and 434 bronze medals alongside the champion titles, five from southern NSW.
Mandole Orchard, based at Lake Wyangan, continued its winning streak from 2024, dominating the Specialty Foods competition with its almond-based range.
The orchard took the Champion Plant-Based Product title for its Honey Almond Butter and collected six additional gold, five silver and two bronze medals.
Golds were awarded for its Premium Roasted and Lightly Salted Almonds, Smooth and Chocolate Almond Butter, Smooth Unsalted Almond Butter, Fresh Original Almond Milk and Fresh Almond Chocolate Milk, with silver medals across the almond milk line including Cold Brew Coffee, Almond & Coconut, Unsweetened and Barista Almond Milks.
W2Olives of Wagga Wagga added to the Riverina’s accolades, claiming two champion titles and multiple medals across its olive oil range.
Its boutique Hardy Mammoth Extra Virgin Olive Oil was named Champion Boutique Extra Virgin Olive Oil and won gold in its class, while its Tuscan Herbs flavoured oil earned Champion Flavoured Oil and gold.
It also secured gold for its Lemon Agrumato, silver for Basil Agrumato, and silver for its commercial-volume Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Speaking of oils – Homeleigh Grove from Hall in the ACT earned silver in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100% Single Varietal or Varietal Blend – Boutique Volume, and multiple medals in the Flavoured Olive Oil category, while Morella Grove (Widgelli) and Oakridge Grove (Young) added several silvers, and The Vinegar Factory (Griffith) claimed a bronze for Roccos Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Duro Pasta from South Nowra showcased the South Coast, sweeping the Dried Pasta category with championship gold for Gigli, gold for Lumache, silver for Fusilli, Fusilloni and Rigatoni and bronze for Conchiglie.
Regional bakers also performed strongly as The Gumnut Patisserie (Mittagong) secured Champion Cake with its “Rock & Roll” creation and added multiple medals across cakes, small cakes, unbaked cakes, brownies, slices, biscuits, and shortcrust pastry categories, including gold for Chocolate Tri Mousse and King of the Jungle.
Three Mills Bakery (Fyshwick) dominated sourdoughs, specialty loaves, baguettes, viennoiserie, sweet biscuits, and savoury pies, while Evoke Bakery (Curtin), Lagom Bakery (Burrill Lake), Snowy Mill (East Jindabyne) and Mouthwater Foods (Moss Vale) earned various silver and bronze medals for breads.
In the biscuit category, Knights Riverina Deli (Wagga Wagga) took bronze for its Hazelnut Biscotti and Choc, Apricot, Hazelnut Biscotti.
Stockinpiggle (Stockinbingal) excelled in branded meats and smallgoods with a gold for Pastured Boneless Whole Shoulder Ham, silver for Hampshire Pasturised Pork Loin (6–8 kg), bronze for Heritage Pasture Raised Whole Chicken, and bronze for Smoked Middle Bacon and Farm Style Garlic and Green Peppercorn Sausages.
Horizon Agri (Yass) earned silver for Marrunga Marble Lamb Rack Frenched Cap, and Dewsbury’s Free Range Pork (Quialigo) took silver for Purebred Duroc and Hampshire Loin (6 kg each).
Knights Riverina Deli received bronze for its Chicken and Cranberry Terrine, while The Original Beef Chief at Tocumwal impressed with a massive catalogue of jerky, biltong, and droewors, hauling in 33 silver and bronze medals.
West Walla Farm, near the Riverina town of Walla Walla, won gold for Sriracha Mayonnaise and silvers for Chipotle Mayonnaise, Duck Egg Mayonnaise, Handcrafted Mayonnaise and Fermented Garlic Aioli, with bronze for French Mayonnaise and Saffron Aioli.
Morella Grove (Griffith) earned silver for its Caramelised Apple Vinegar and bronzes for gourmet Satay Sauce, Chilli Relish and Peri Peri sauces.
Kielty’s Irish Sauces (Bowral) took gold for its Hand Smoked Chipotle BBQ Sauce, silver for its PK BBQ and Hot Sweet Chilli Sauces, and bronze for its Peri Peri Chilli Sauce.
At Huskisson, Mama Kim’s Kitchen won gold for Artisan Kimchi and a bronze for her Signature Baek Kimchi while White Feather Designs was awarded a silver medal for Nicole’s Smoked Beetroot Relish.
Mr Mates Relish (Albion Park) claimed gold for its BBQ Relish, silver for its Irish Onion Relish, and a bronze apiece for its Pineapple Relish and Pear & Jalapeno Relish.
Seed Food With Love (Wagga Wagga) took silver for its Red Chilli Jam and bronze for its Apple Mint Jelly Chilli edition, and Long Track Pantry (Jugiong) earned silver for its Spicy Barbecue Sauce and bronze for its Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar.
Hillston Black Garlic’s Black Garlic Peeled Cloves received bronze and Knights Riverina Deli scored silver in confectionery for its Toffee Apple.
Gigi The Gourmet Grocer (Coolamon) took silver for its Gigi Arrabiatta Sugo, while Nydelig Kitchen (Wilton) won silver for its Gourmetnia Chilli.
Southern NSW’s creativity extended to drinks, with The Honey Thief (Mittagong) claiming gold for its Glowbee Zing and silver for its Glowbee Original.
From the ACT, Jasper and Myrtle Jasper and Myrtle Chocolates (Fyshwick) won gold for their Chocolate Hazelnut Spread in the sweet preserves category, and BK Kraut (Kambah) earned silver for its Radish Chi in pickled and fermented foods.
Sydney Royal Fine Food Chair Michael Bullen noted a 15 per cent increase in entries from 2024, highlighting the show’s growing prestige.
“It was a fantastic celebration of Australian producers who are at the top of their game and consistently producing outstanding products made from home-grown Australian ingredients,” he said.
In other results the RAS’s Aquaculture Spring competition saw Pambula’s Aquaculture Enterprises named Champion Other Farmed Aquaculture Product for The Oyster Barn House Smoked Angasi.
