Hunter Belle Goldenbelle

Hunter Belle, as the name suggest, comes from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. They source their milk solely from Swiss Brown Cows and believe in allowing seasonal variations to come through in their cheese.

Cheese Maker: Hunter Belle
Cheese Type: Goldenbelle
Location: New England Highway, Muswellbrook
Open: Seven Days 10am-3pm

It's saffron coloured skin probably tells you that this is a washed rind cheese and if you happen to be in it's presence, it's pungent aroma leaves you without any doubt.

I found the skin to be somewhat tacky to the touch and compared to previous washed rind cheeses, this one is not for the faint-hearted.

This hasn't been out of the fridge for too long but you can see that it's started to soften - the cheese has a creamy mouth-feel but it's quite strongly flavoured, along the line of a blue cheese. Even after three hours there's still quite a strong ammonia scent.

I'd recommend this for those that like their cheese with attitude.

*For Melbournites - I found this cheese at Leo's in Kew, they also stock a few others from their range.

Originally published here

Shaw River Lady Julie Cheddered Buffalo Cheese

Shaw River is Australia's only Water Buffalo Dairy and it's located in western Victoria, near the town of Yambuk. The herd is made up from both Italian Riverine Buffalo and Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo.

They are probably more well known for their mozzarella and yoghurt but this cheese is a bit on the unusual side.

Cheese Maker: Shaw River Buffalo Cheese
Cheese Type: Lady Julia Cheddered Buffalo Cheese
Location: Princes Highway , Yambuk

This cheese is a bit hard to come by as it takes about 2 years to make - it's a cheddar made with buffalo milk. It carries the characteristic of buffalo milk in it's whiter colouring.

Though it feels quite dense, it cuts very smoothly without crumbling. It's taste is quite pronounced and packs a punch like a great aged cheddar should. The sweetness of the milk comes through along with that lovely nuttiness. It may look meek and mild but this is for those that love their cheddar to bite back.


Originally published here

Grandvewe Birchs Bay Blonde

I do get quite excited when I find a new cheese to taste and I must say I am extremely impressed with this offering from Tasmania.

Grandvewe Cheese is located in the picturesque Huon Valley overlooking Entrecasteaux Channel and Bruny Island and was established in 2001. They are a family run business that specialise in Sheep's milk cheese sourced from their herd of East Friesland (Friesian) Sheep. They are also organically certified and have a range of Organic Wines to complement their cheese.

Cheese Maker: Grandvewe Cheese
Cheese Type: Birchs Bay Blonde
Location: 59 Devlyns Road, Birchs Bay Tasmania
Open:
September - June: 10am-5pm, 7 days excluding Christmas day
July - August: 10am-4pm daily except Tuesdays

Before you even remove it from it's wrapper those wonderful mushroom aromas are coming through - this is the type of cheese I just love to breath in deeply.

The shape is classical - barrel shaped with a wrinkled rind that you might recall seeing in some of the mature goat cheese I've featured in the past.

I have, contrary to my own advice, sliced this before it's achieved room temperature - but you should see the different layers. Just under the fairly thin skin is a creamy and as it warms, runny section that surrounds a whiter and more chalky core.

To eat, it's soft on the palette, the flavour filling your mouth - there's no bitterness or tartness at all. It's just well balanced and absolutely moorish.

At this stage, the rind is perfectly edible (it's slightly moist) though as the cheese matures the rind will become harder. The true testament to the cheese is that on a cheese board with three others, it was the first to disappear.

Unlike so many other cheese makers, Grandvewe has set up a really great website where you can find out more about the sheep, their cheese and wine and you can even order it online! I do believe they even ship overseas.

For those in Melbourne, I found this at Leo's in Kew.

Web: Grandvewe

Originally published here