Could Meredith Dairy Goat Cheese really be Australia’s first original cheese? Read on to learn about this hugely popular marinated cheese, and the farm where it is made.

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Long Paddock Driftwood is one a kind! Indeed, this soft surface-ripened cheese is Australia’s first and only cheese wrapped in spruce bark.

Read on to learn more about this deliciously complex cheese and its maker, Long Paddock Cheese.

Inspired by Mont d'Or

Driftwood is one of the first cheeses that Julie and Ivan started making in Castlemaine. As a matter of fact, they drew their inspiration from the most famous seasonal mountain cheese from France, Mont d’Or.

Indeed, their dedication to crafting a unique cheese was such that they import the spruce bark from one of the few remaining sangliers in the Jura mountains.

Also, like Mont d’Or, Driftwood is available as a small format and a large format cheese. While the latter is made for sharing, the former is a great cheese for a party of two (or maybe one?).

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About Bon Accord

Bon Accord is a soft cheese hand-made by The Peaks Artisan Cheesemakers at their micro cheese factory in Myrtleford, Victoria.

In 2019, Luke Armstrong and Vanessa Lipscombe established this small batch dairy in the Victorian High Country. Actually, Luke’s journey to cheesemaking comes via a university degree in ecology. After completing his studies, his passion for cheesemaking became apparent during a spell working in an Italian cheese shop.

As for Vanessa, she comes from a teaching background but has a lifelong passion for food and, in particular, cheese. Since 2019, they have been handmaking and maturing an impressive range of artisanal cheeses. Currently, their offerings include the semi-hard Mountaineer, the goat’s milk Monolith and this gorgeous soft cheese.

The story behind the name

Before the construction of the Great Alpine Road, the Bon Accord Spur was the route taken by walkers, horse riders and pack horses to Mount Hotham.

Nowadays, it is a popular hiking trail on the way to Mount Hotham. Or it can be part of a route taking in the Razorback and Bungalow Spur.

Key to this spectacular soft cheese is the unique organic Normande cow’s milk. As a matter of fact, the milk, coupled with a delicate Geotrichum candidum rind, makes a significant contribution to the texture and flavour. Whilst it has a playful creamline, its slightly chalky centre allows the cheese to maintain its shape.

At 4 weeks, its mouthfeel is fudgy and very moreish. On the palate, you will detect notes of root vegetables. Moreover, the texture and aroma are reminiscent of the traditional French cheese Saint-Marcellin.

How to serve Bon Accord

Enjoy with a tart persimmon and a glass of Pinot Gris to highlight the earthiness of the cheese.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.

If you enjoy learning about new cheeses, you can subscribe to our newsletter below. You will hear from us about once a week as we share new cheese profiles with you.

Finally, keep scrolling to find some more cheeses and recipes that have been recommended for you. Keep it cheesy!

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About King River Gold

King River Gold is a soft washed rind cheese made by Milawa Cheese in Victoria’s King Valley.

In 1988, David Brown purchased the old Milawa Butter Factory and proceeded to transform it into a cheesemaking facility. David and his wife Anne decided that they would make a mild blue cheese inspired by the Northern Italian Gorgonzola.

Thus was born Milawa Cheese and their first product, Milawa Blue. Since then, they have expanded their range to include some of Australia’s most popular cheeses such as Markwood and Milawa Tomme. Moreover, they use both cow’s and goat’s milk to hand-make their small batch artisanal cheeses.

Gold medal winner

Overall, this little washed rind cheese is a great introduction to the style. Whilst it bears some resemblance to French cheeses like Reblochon, it is undoubtedly a truly Victorian cheese.

From the beginning, David used the finest local cow’s milk to make this cheese. During maturation, the affineur washes each little cheese with a proprietary solution. Overall, this technique imparts a sticky brown rind to the cheese, as well as a moderate to robust yeasty aroma.

Underneath the rind, you will find a soft ivory coloured pâte with a rich smokey and nutty flavour.

In 2020, King River Gold won a gold medal at the delicious. Australia and Harvey Norman Produce Awards.

Serving guide

Enjoy this little beauty with a local Stout, single malt Whisky or a glass of Prosecco.

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When cheese meets beer

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Made in the Yarra Valley

Four Pillars Moonshine is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese made in the Yarra Valley by Stone & Crow Cheese. Actually, this unique cheese is a limited edition version of Jack Holman’s Moonshine.

With years of experience behind him, Jack Holman established Stone & Crow Cheese in 2015. Since then, he has been experimenting with his Moonshine by washing it in a variety of ingredients during the maturation process.

Gin meets cheese

For the Four Pillars version, Jack washes each wheel with Four Pillars Gin’s Bloody Shiraz. This craft gin is made by adding Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes to high proof Rare Dry Gin. After four months in Jack’s Crow’s Nest, this hard cheese is a celebration of the qualities of both the gin and the cow’s milk.

At this age, the wheels have a light brown rugged rind wrapped around a dense but creamy straw coloured pâte. Morever, the pâte has a striking purple marbling that is imparted by the Bloody Shiraz Gin.

Overall, its aroma is reminiscent of damp forest undergrowth and fresh pine needles. However, on the palate, the gin qualities shine through with notes of raspberries and juniper, with a long spicy finish.

Pairing Four Pillars Moonshine

We can’t look past the obvious here. Enjoy with a Dry Gin or a glass of Shiraz.

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The traditional recipe for Morbier

Morbier is a French semi-hard cheese with a signature layer of ash that originates from the Jura and Doubs regions.

Back in the day, local farmers began making this type of cheese in the winter months when they did not have enough milk to make Comté. They would make a small 4-5kg cheese in the evening and cover it with ash for protection overnight.

In the morning, they would make a second identical cheese. Once the curd is set, they would place it on top of the layer of ash before the whole wheel is pressed.

Made from a single milking batch

Fermier is a Morbier-style cheese made using Victorian organic cow’s milk.

L’Artisan Organic make Fermier at their brand new cheesemaking facility in Mortlake, Victoria. Actually, Matthieu Megard and his talented team use organic milk from a single milking batch, as is the case for most modern Morbiers.

A line of vegetable ash

Moreover, they add a line of charcoal made from vegetable ash through the centre of every wheel. Afterwards, each wheel is then pressed in cloth, hand salted and washed in brine during the maturation process.

At 6 weeks, the cheese develops a sticky, orange rind which envelopes a dense, buttery pâte. Overall, it has a well-rounded flavour with a nutty, earthy finish.

How to serve Fermier

Fermier excels both as a table cheese and a melting cheese. Pair with a semi-sweet Gewürztraminer.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading this post about yet another amazing artisanal cheese. Have you tried this cheese before? Drop us a comment below with your thoughts.

If you enjoy learning about new cheeses, you can subscribe to our newsletter below. You will hear from us about once a week as we share new cheese profiles with you.

Finally, keep scrolling to find some more cheeses and recipes that have been recommended for you. Keep it cheesy!

The post Fermier: The Australian Morbier appeared first on Cheese Atlas.

Amongst the rolling hills

Venus Blue is a sheep’s milk blue cheese made by Prom Country Cheese in South Gippsland, Victoria.

Nestled amongst the rolling hills in the lush Moyarra Valley, lies the Brandon family farm. The farm is home to a small herd of 150 grass-fed sheep which are cared for and milked by Bronwyn and Burke Brandon.

How Venus Blue is made

Undoubtedly, the farm’s ewes produce an exceptionally creamy autumn milk that is perfect for cheese making. As a matter of fact, Burke exclusively uses this seasonal milk to make their signature cheese. 

Furthermore, he uses in-house cultures that have been sourced from the ewes’ own raw milk and vegetarian rennet. As a result of this, Venus Blue is a celebration of the local South Gippsland terroir.

Afterwards, he loosely packs the resulting curds to create an open texture. This allows the mould to form beautiful blue pockets during maturation. Finally, the wheels spend a minimum of 5 months in the cellar before being released for sale from January to August.

Flavour profile

Venus Blue has a greyish-white natural rind wrapped around an off-white soft and creamy pâte that is mottled with pockets of blue.

Moreover, its robust aroma is reminiscent of fresh grass and barnyard. Despite its robust aroma, this blue cheese has a mild and savoury flavour with a very soft finish.

How to serve

Enjoy with blueberries, dark chocolate and a late harvest Pinot Gris.

Moreover, this multi-awarded cheese is the perfect blue for a cheese platter but can also be a spectacular addition to a salad or pasta.

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Brandy is cheese’s best friend

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Victoria’s first raw milk cheese

Cultures from the Venus Blue

Initially, they isolated the microbial cultures that live in their raw milk in a laboratory. They then added those cultures back to pasteurised milk to make their signature cheese, the Venus Blue.

This process means that the Venus Blue has qualities that are unique to their farm.

A team effort

Working together with like-minded industry partners, the couple successfully lobbied the local regulators for the introduction of new food safety regulations.

Those regulations would allow the production of raw milk cheeses in Australia, albeit under very strict guidelines.

Burke and Bronwyn spent two years developing a new cheese that would meet those requirements. In order to do so, they had to upgrade their food safety plan and procedures.

In March 2020, the regulators finally granted them approval to produce a specific raw milk cheese. Their milk would have to pass strict hygiene testing and come from only healthy udders.

Meet Moyarra Reserve

For Moyarra Reserve, the ewe’s milk and curds are not cooked (pasteurised) at any stage of the process.

Instead, a pre-ripened mother culture is added right back at the dairy, as the raw milk flows from the udders into the vat.

Very strict requirements

Furthermore, all of their equipment has to be sanitised, including the ewes’ teats prior to milking. A mixture of morning and evening milk is immediately transferred to the cheesemaking vat to be warmed back to body temperature.

The wheels of cheese must meet a maximum moisture percentage limit before being hand salted with sea salt for the next 3 days. For this reason, Moyarra Reserve must be matured at 12°c for over 5 months. At that point, it has to pass extensive final lab testing to guarantee it is safe to eat.

A celebration of terroir

The end product is a cheese that could not possibly be made anywhere else in the world. Producing such a raw milk cheese is certainly made expensive by all the restrictions currently in place in Australia. However, Burke and Bronwyn firmly believe that it is well worth it.

Farmhouse cheesemakers are best equipped to make raw milk cheeses in Australia because they are in full control of every step of the process. They can ensure that the milk quality and manufacturing processes all meet the brief that has been laid out by the food authorities.

How to enjoy Moyarra Reserve

At 5 months, the cheese develops a thin rusty-red coloured rind that wraps around a straw-coloured pâte. Moreover, the aroma is a little bit wild and the texture is reminiscent of the famous French sheep’s milk cheese, Ossau-Iraty.

On the palate, this stellar cheese is savoury with some notes of caramel and a subtly spicy finish. Furthermore, the edible rind adds a bit of crunch and has more concentrated earthy flavours.

Enjoy with a crunchy baguette, some extra virgin olive oil and smoked dukkah. Pair with a sweet Riesling or Sauternes.

What next?

So, where does all of that leave us? Raw milk cheeses certainly provide the best way to let the milk shine with minimal intervention. Having said that, it does not mean that all raw milk cheeses are better than pasteurised milk cheeses. There are some spectacular artisanal pasteurised milk cheeses out there, both made locally and imported.

Without a doubt, Moyarra Reserve is a landmark cheese for Victoria. We can expect it to pave the way for many more raw milk cheeses. And we can not wait!

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