Far South Coast oysters have once again wowed judges at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.
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Tathra Oysters continued its stellar run on growing gold medal produce, while Wapengo Rocks of Bermagui was nipping at its heels with several silvers.
Gary and Jo Rodely of Tathra are no strangers to the upper echelons of oyster competitions, and the Fine Food Awards announced this week added weight to their overflowing mantelpiece.
Tathra Oysters was named Champion Sydney Rock Oyster Exhibit at the awards.
It also picked up Champion Aquaculture Product across all 27 classes being judged.
On top of that their now famous rock oysters received two gold medals and two silvers.
The gold medals were for Tathra’s supreme grade extra large and bistro grade medium entries.
“We’re absolutely thrilled,” Jo Rodely said on Wednesday.
More so because Tathra Oysters’ leases are closed at the moment after recent rains caused its brood to spawn and lose condition.
“The lake is fine to harvest, but we made the decision to close to give them time to fatten up again,” Ms Rodely said.
“We’re looking at opening back up in the first week of March.”
The awards continue Tathra Oysters’ perfect record at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards.
Gary Rodely said they submit four entries every year and they’ve never not medalled.
However, this is the first time they’ve been awarded champion aquaculture product.
“That was a real mind-blower, we’re tickled pink,” he said.
Wapengo Rocks claimed silver medals for each of its petite, premium and bistro grade wild caught organically certified rock oysters from Wapengo Lake.
Meanwhile, another Wapengo Lake oyster producer, Kingfisher Oysters, also netted a silver medal for its bistro grade Sydney rock oysters.
Shane Buckley of Wapengo Rocks Oysters said there was “nowhere better” than Wapengo Lake to grow oysters.
“It’s a beautiful place to live and grow oysters,” he said on Wednesday.
“Now we just have to figure out what Gary [Rodely] does!” he added with a wry laugh.
Mr Buckley said his farm’s organic certification and environmental management systems give Wapengo a point of difference to other growers.
“It shows our commitment to quality and that we’re part of the environment rather than using the environment.”
Meanwhile, Eden Smokehouse was awarded champion salmon product for its smoked Atlantic salmona, and gold medals for its hot-smoked Atlantic salmon and ocean trout gravlax.
Sapphire Oysters of Millingandi also claimed a gold medal for its “Sapphire Pearls, bistro” rock oyster entry and a silver for its “Sapphire Gems, bottle”.
The Far South Coast also tasted plenty more success with silver medals to: Two Blokes Food of Tura Beach for its smoked trout pate; Southern Cross Oysters Pambula for a plate of rock oysters; Black Bull Pastoral Company for its bistro grade oysters; Hazelgrove Oysters for both its large and small entries; Merimbula Gourmet Oysters for large and medium Angazi oyster entries; Superior Oysters of Merimbula for its large plate, bistro and extra large plate entries; Mills Oysters of Merimbula for its “Bens Oysters, plate”; and Eden Smokehouse’s Atlantic salmon gravlax and hot-smoked ocean trout.
