I confess, I’ve got a new addiction, Kaikoura Cheese Factory’s Tenara ash coated goat cheese. Its wrinkled black outer, and fudgie white inner has pulled me from my cheesey silence, because my friends, you need to know about this cheese. … Continue reading Tenara goat cheese – my new addiction
Over the hill and down the rabbit hole. A cheesy road-trip to the Wairarapa was in order when I saw Mt Eliza’s raw milk Red Leicester was back in stock at C’est Cheese in Featherston. This is just the second … Continue reading Prepare for a ride – Mt Eliza Red Leicester
I can’t go to Christchurch without making a pilgrimage to the cheese stalls at the Christchurch Farmers Market at Riccarton, even when it’s cold and I’m sick. So like a plague-riddled mendicant I hauled my sorry self out of bed, … Continue reading My number one thing to do in Christchurch
$28 for 200g and a 2 hour round trip. Seems a lot to pay for a cheese. But the chance to finally taste the first NZ-made raw milk cheese had me heading over the hill to C’est Fromage in Featherston … Continue reading Raw milk goats cheese at C’est Cheese – who knew?
Oh the irony, a cheese freak who can’t make cheese. My latest effort at Halloumi was a big fail! Not just a bit wonky, my Halloumi was a complete bust. My curds did not set, there was no whey to … Continue reading Epic fail on Halloumi – but Zany Zeus saves the day
30 Foodies, 6 cheeses, 3 wines, a sommelier and a cheese geek. Last night’s cheese and wine tasting at Elements Café was awesome. Organised by the fabulous Lucy Mutch from Wellington Foodies, we gathered to taste a selection of winners from the New Zealand Specialist Cheese Association Awards. I was in charge of the fromage, Jules van Cruysen from MacVine International provided the wine and Kate Hardwick helped cut and plate up. I’d chosen six cheeses with the help of James and Tara from The Dairy in Ponsonby. I’d swung by after the cheese awards and tasted my way through … Continue reading Cheese and wine tasting with awesome Wellington foodies
The wine flowed, the food was great and the company was awesome! 300 odd turophiles, that’s cheese lovers to you and me, packed the big room at the Langham Hotel in Auckland for Cuisine NZ’s Champions of Cheese Awards last … Continue reading The Bosses are in town – Champions of Cheese Awards 2014
Cheese rolls are one of New Zealand’s few regional food specialities. They ignite nostalgia in Mainlanders living up north, are a fund raising stalwart in Southland/Otago, and a source of fascination for this cheese obsessed North Islander. Sheltering from a wet Autumnal day I spotted some in the basement café of a posho department store in Christchurch last week, and was inspired to find out more about this uniquely South Island treat. Te Waipounamu tell us your secrets! A cheese roll, for the uninitiated, is a pre-prepared cheese mixture spread on thin white bread, rolled up and toasted under a … Continue reading Cheese rolls – a South Island tradition
Bone white, with a layer of black ash, Gruff Junction’s Darfield is perfect for languid summer days when I hanker for young, light cheeses. Paired with a Sauvignon Blanc I want something to serve in the lead up to a barbeque, rather than at the end of a feast. This is when goat’s cheeses come into their own. And Gruff Junction make some of the best I’ve tasted. Their Darfield is a sexy cheese for summer. The pyramid square of bloomy rind opens up to reveal a dramatic seismic line. Named after the town at the epicentre of the September … Continue reading Gruff Junction Darfield – perfect cheese for summer
Goats cheese and kiwifuit? With basil? On toast? OK Madame Fromage, Cheese Courtesan from Philadelphia, you got me tempted. What an unexpected pairing of our national fruit, and by an American, this combination turned out to be a revelation! A hot looking canapé, simple and fairly inexpensive, it’s bound to become a staple this coming summer. Just smear fresh goats cheese on bruschetta, add a slice of kiwifruit and a jaunty spring of basil. Easy as. Pair with a G & T or a chilled Sav. Delicious. I used Meadowcroft Chevré, a New Zealand-made, French-style, fresh goats cheese made by … Continue reading Goats cheese and kiwifruit – strange but true…
Life and Cheese 