Friday, 13 November 2009

Locheilan Triple Cream

Locheilan Farmhouse Cheese is located in Wunghun about 200 kilometers north of Melbourne, not far from Shepparton. We've enjoyed quite a bit of their cheese in the past so it is quite surprising that I've yet to mention them on this site - so today I right that wrong with a decadent triple cream!

Locheilan Triple Cream© by Haalo


Cheesemarker: Locheilan Farmhouse Cheese
Cheese Name: Triple Cream
Location: 754 Central Mundoona Road, Wunghnu
Open for visits and sales - Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm; other days by appointment


Locheilan Triple Cream© by Haalo


It has a washed rind character about it, in relation to the aroma and those hints of orange underneath the white mould. The milk all comes form their farm, a herd made up of mostly Friesians with some Jersey cross-breads.

Locheilan Triple Cream© by Haalo


This cheese has about a month until it's BBD so it isn't yet showing those runny characteristics that come with a fully matured round. If you look inside the cheese you can see those changes starting, the internal core is lighter in colour.

Locheilan Triple Cream© by Haalo


It's best to let the cheese come to room temperature - on a hot day that does not mean you allow it to get hot, please use a little common sense here. It will soften somewhat even at this stage and the flavours and aromas are much more pronouced. A triple cream will reward you with fabulous mouth feel - the rich,creamy flavour coating and filling your mouth.

Thursday, 5 November 2009

King Island Discovery Ash Brie

It's back to Tasmania for another offering from King Island - this time it's an ash coated brie

king island ash brie© by Haalo


Cheese Maker - King Island Dairy
Cheese Type - Discovery Ash Brie


king island ash brie© by Haalo

The ash sits underneath the typical white mould covering of the appearing, giving hints of its presence through those dark speckles.

king island ash brie© by Haalo

Once cut you'll see that the ash forms continuous coating surrounding the cheese. The cheese itself has a deep golden colour, a semi-soft band runs through the center. This is certainly a firmer style of brie.

king island ash brie© by Haalo

Tastewise, its pleasantly creamy, with nutty notes, the ash itself has a subtle influence on the flavour.

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Maffra Dargo Walnut

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

Maffra Dargo Walnut© by Haalo


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.

Maffra Dargo Walnut© by Haalo

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.

Maffra Dargo Walnut© by Haalo

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.

Maffra Dargo Walnut© by Haalo


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