Take a walk down memory lane
THE TIME CAPSULE
A celebration of our past cheeses, and the stories behind them
QUASIMODO - 2012
A very unusual cheese, Quasimodo was made for the first time around 2012 after a visit to Italy where I discovered a fabulous combination of white pepper and garlic blended in a goat cheese.
I wanted to put my spin on this flavoursome treat and made a rock-hard goat cheese and washed it with salt brine and then rolled it in white pepper and crushed garlic. The result was fabulous, and almost a bit truffle like.
The shapes of the cheeses were all different but mostly resembled nuggets of cheese for what ever reason reminded me of Quasimodo - the fictional character and the main protagonist of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
The nuggets resembled the unruly hunch on Quasimodo’s back.
The nuggets work best shaved (not unlike shaving a truffle). The flavour worked on pasta or just eaten neat. I remember Matt Preston coming to Woodside just to find this cheese because he had tried it and loved it so much.
It was cumbersome and time consuming to make, so we eventually decided….Quasimodo was all too hard!
FIBONACCI - 2005
Fibonacci (Leonardo of Pisa) - 1175-1250 was an Italian mathematician that promoted the introduction of the Hindu-Arabic number system (decimal) to Europe.
He postured a series of numbers (and variations), since named the Fibonacci numbers, which interestingly also relate to many events that occur in nature.
We named this cheese after Fibonacci as our son was doing a school project on Fibonacci at dinner when we tasted the first (1) batch of the cheese for the first (1) time. The two (2) of us tried three (3) different cheeses with five (5) different breads & biscuits. It was eight (8) pm on the thirteenth (13) day of the month and we had been asked to provide a new cheese for our nieces twenty-first^ birthday... (21)
The Fibonacci number sequence? 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21
Spooky right?
DRUNKEN GOAT - 2016
Another celebration of cheesemaker and winemaker. The Drunken Goat is a semi hard goat cheese that has been matured in red wine grape must from Coriole Vineyards.
'Must' definition: The unfermented juice of grapes extracted by crushing or pressing
RUBI
'Rubi', meaning jewel in French is a white bloomy rind goat's cheese from Woodside made in very small batches exclusively by hand. It is dressed in beautiful edible flowers, before the cheese develops a bloomy rind. As the bloomy velvety rind envelopes the crust of the cheese, it sometimes captures the little flowers.
Rubi is mild and balanced when young, with a creamy blue flavour that imparts a slight acidity and lively and fresh lactic nature. As it matures, the cheese starts turning firmer.
WAKAME BLUE - 2012
A collaboration with acclaimed Chef Simon Bryant. Wakame Blue was a hard blue vein cow cheese wrapped in Dirt(y) Inc. Wakame.
Wakame Blue received a Super Gold and was listed as one of the best 55 (Out of 2,500) cheeses in the world at the 2012 World Cheese Awards held in Britain.
ETZKY KETZY - 2010
When I was younger, I would ask my Greek Grandfather how he was feeling, to which he would reply:
"Etzy Ketzy".
Meaning: 50/50.
So Etzy Ketzy was born - a washed rind cheese made using a blend of 50% goat and 50% Fresian cow milk.
Etzy Ketzy had a clean herbaceous flavour with a delicate finish. At full maturity at about 4 weeks, she is not for the faint of heart - becoming decandently creamy with intense flavours.
The cheese has won many awards including gold medal at 2006 Sydney Australian Specialty Cheesemakers Competition, 2006 CheeseFest South Australia, 2008 World Cheese Awards, 2010 Sydney Royal Show and many more.
BLUE TONGUE - 2007
Blue Tongue uses a variety of moulds and yeasts to produce a semi-hard blue cheese - Bluey was extremely creamy which was a beautiful textural balance next to the bite of the mould.
Just like the bite of a blue tongue - OW!
Blue Tongue was discontinued after a decision to cease production on all blue cheeses in our factory.
VIRGO - 2006
A geotrichum mould soft goat cheese - like Edith but without the ash.
Virgo was extremely soft - almost fragile - with a very light, white mould that continues to develop as the cheese ages.
Next to the rind sat an almost runny layer, the cheese becomes firmer the closer to the cetner but retains a curd-like appearance.
Virgo had a pronounced goat cheese tang and was exceptionally moist and very creamy in the mouth with low acid levels.
This was another princess we stopped making.
ALLIUM PIPER
Allium Piper was a collaboration between us and 'Allisford Farm Organic Hand Harvested Garlic'. A goat's milk chevre infused with black pepper and beautiful organic garlic.
This elegant, fresh, white cheese is perfect for cheese board. There is no intense goaty taste, typically associated with goat milk cheeses. It has a characteristic spicy flavour with notes of garlic and pepper.
Keep an eye out for Allium Piper's return in the future.
MANON - 2010
An interesting cocktail of secondary flora is used when making the cheese, resulting in a soft pliable texture which offers a clean herbaceous mouthfeel, showing off the characters of the excellent quality milk.
The cheese is washed several times before we allow it to rest and develop a natural rind - we then wrap the cheese in vine leaves and mature for several months before release.
Serve at room temperature for optimum texture and best flavour, preferably while listening to Giacomo Puccini's famous opera 'Manon'.
Manon won many awards including gold medal at 2011 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards, 2011 Brisbane Cheese Awards, 2012 Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show and many more.
Manon had a low shelf life when it was first made, however, new technology means we may revisit Manon soon!
DUET
Duet is a white mould geotrichum cheese that is made using a blend of 50% cow milk and 50% goat milk. The cheese has a crinkly, bloomy rind due to the inoculation with Geotrichum Candidum. When young, the cheese has a slightly acidic, fresh, lactic flavour. As Duet, it transforms into a rich creamy cheese, which is typical for chevre cheeses.
Duet was discontinued due to it's unpredictability! Geotrichum mould and blended cow and goat milk proved difficult to maintain consistent.
VESUVIUS
Named after its volcanic shape and ash covered rind, Vesuvius is a goat's cheese from Woodside with an ash-coated white bloomy rind. It is mild and balanced when young, with a creamy flavour that imparts a slight acidity and lively and fresh lactic nature. As it matures, the cheese starts turning firmer.
Vesuvius was discontinued as it is another time consuming and tricky cheese to make.
MANDOLIN
Mandolin is a cow's milk cheese. It is a smear ripened; semi hard vine wrapped cheese that is washed in B linens & then allowed to rest for several weeks to develop a rusty red appearance. The cheese has a sweet smell of the pasture and soft pliable texture.