Maffra Dargo Walnut

It's another first for this site - time to explore one of those nefarious "orange cheeses".

Cheese Maker: Maffra Cheese Company
Cheese Name: Maffra Dargo Walnut

The dairy is not open to the public but contact information and details on where you can buy the cheese can be found on their website.

Growing up I used to look at this types of cheese with suspicion, they just didn't look natural. Luckily we grow up and realise we shouldn't base everything on appearance.

The Dargo Walnut is based on that famous English cheese, Red Leicester and in fact, Maffra also produces a plain Red Leicester. The colour is natural and comes from annatto seeds though it can be a source of allergic reactions so it is certainly something you would need to keep in mind.

Red Leicester is a cheddar like cheese, quite mild and softly textured. In this cheese, local walnuts sourced from Dargo have been added, their flavour infusing the milk.


Apparently as the cheese matures, the walnuts will release their oils and create a marbled pattern in the cheese. This is quite a young version so that marbling hasn't developed.



The walnuts add both a crunch and mealiness which are really interesting textural elements to what is a fairly smooth cheese.

Maffra Glenmaggie Blue

Maffra Cheese Company is located in Gippsland, an area here in Victoria that is well known for its Cheese producers just as Jindi and Tarago River.

The cheese is made using only the milk from their herd of Holstein Friesian cows - this classes them as a farmhouse producer. Non animal rennets are also used.

Cheese Maker: Maffra Cheese Company
Cheese Name: Maffra Glenmaggie Blue
The dairy is not open to the public but contact information and details on where you can buy the cheese can be found on their website.

This is the Maffra Glenmaggie Blue named after Lake Glenmaggie that is located nearby. It's made in a "Stilton style".

While it looks quite fierce it has a creamy texture that offsets its sharp bite. As it ages it will break down and more sweeter flavours will emerge.

I wouldn't recommend it for the bluecheeseaphobics, solely based on its appearance but if Blue Cheese is your thing, then do give this a try.


Originally published here