Lance Creek cheesemaker named nation's best
Prom Country Cheese's Daniel Hales has won the new Champion Australian Independent Cheesemaker trophy at the Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards.
A LANCE Creek dairy farmer has been named the nation’s best independent cheesemaker at the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards.
Daniel Hales, who runs Prom Country Cheese at Moyarra with his wife Chelsie, took out the Champion Australian Independent Cheesemaker trophy at the presentation at Melbourne Showgrounds on Wednesday September 30.
Mr Hales also took home a best in class award for blue cheese.
“Had a great night at the Melbourne Royal Food Awards,” Mr Hales said in a video posted after the win.
“We also won Champion Australian Independent Cheesemaker.
“As you know, these awards don’t happen with just us.
“It’s the team behind us with Burke and Flora in the cheese room leading the charge, then the girls in packing, Katie, Lucy, Nadine and Nana, doing a fantastic job to make these awards come true for the rest of us.
“So thank you to everyone and well done to the whole team.”
The Independent Cheesemaker trophy is one of two new trophies at this year’s awards, alongside the Excellence in Apprentice Butchery Trophy.
Melbourne Royal senior manager of food and beverage awards Kirrily Waldhorn said the winners showed the depth of talent in Australian food production.
“This year’s trophy winners and champions represent the extraordinary depth of talent and exceptional produce being created across the country,” she said.
“It’s fantastic to see some incredible producers take home awards across such a diverse range of categories, from dairy and preserves to meat and smallgoods, the returning olive oil, bread and baked goods, and our new trophies such as the new Apprentice Butcher and Independent Cheesemaker.”
Mr Hales is the fifth generation of his family to work Glen Moidart, the Lance Creek farm first settled in 1886, and crafts his cheeses from the certified organic milk of the family’s own herd.
He and Chelsie bought Prom Country Cheese in 2022 and he has since lifted production from seven to 11 tonnes a year, with every wheel traceable back to the farm.
Their Inverloch Blue, wrapped in grape vine leaves grown on the property and soaked in local wine before it matures, was crowned Grand Champion Cheese at the 2025 Australian Grand Dairy Awards and named Best Australian Cheese at the World Cheese Awards.
The Champion Cheese title at this year’s Melbourne Royal awards went to Capriole from Main Ridge Dairy on the Mornington Peninsula.
The awards covered dairy, preserves, smallgoods, meat, olive oil, and bread and baked goods, with dairy specialist Mark Livermore returning as head judge for dairy.
