Thursday 30 July 2009

Red Hill Portsea Picnic

This is the goat milk version of Sorrento Picnic

Red Hill Portsea Picnic©

Cheese Maker: Red Hill Cheese
Cheese: Portsea Picnic
Location: 81 William Road (Off Arthurs Seat Road), Red Hill
Cellar Door: Open weekends & public holidays Noon-5pm (except Christmas, Boxing Day & Good Friday)

While it may be shaped exactly like the Sorrento Picnic, once unwrapped the differences become more obvious

Red Hill Portsea Picnic©

That white to beige rind carries a saffron hue that's slightly sticky in parts.

Red Hill Portsea Picnic©

Once cut we observe a much paler coloured cheese. The taste is fresh with a slight tang, reminiscent of a mild cheddar. When we sampled the portsea and sorrento together on the cheese platter, we thought that this Portsea was the better of the two.

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Red Hill Fingal Gold

I must preface this post by saying that at the moment, there isn't much stock available when in comes to washed rinds.

fingal gold© by Haalo


Cheese Maker: Red Hill Cheese
Cheese: Fingal Gold
Location: 81 William Road (Off Arthurs Seat Road), Red Hill
Cellar Door: Open weekends & public holidays Noon-5pm (except Christmas, Boxing Day & Good Friday)

There must be something about using gold wrappers when it comes to washed rind - discovery scrubbed brie and goldenbelle both utilise similar wrappings. Regardless of choice, there's always something wonderful about unwrapping a cheese like this, it's your nose that gets the first indication of what is in store.

fingal gold© by Haalo

The skin is a little fairer in colour compared to others but this is also a while off from reaching full maturation (use by date is september!)

fingal gold© by Haalo

This hasn't been out of the fridge for very long so it's a lot firmer than I would expect.

fingal gold© by Haalo

With aging you'll see that softening around the edges continue to move towards the center.

fingal gold© by Haalo


At the moment, it's quite mild in flavour but still has a lovely creaminess in the mouth.