Thistledown Creamery 'Tin Sheep Tomme'

Semi-hard
Ewe's milk (mixed East Friesian/Awassi)
Southern Tablelands
4kg wheels
www.thistledowncreamery.com

Another wonderful cheese from talented young cheese-maker, Vanessa Bradley. Inspired by the classic ewe's milk cheeses of the Basque region boardering France and Spain, 'Tin Sheep Tomme' is the closest thing I've seen to Ossau-Iraty this side of France.

Thistledown Creamery
'Tin Sheep Tomme'

Matured for 3-4 months, it has a compact texture, with grassy, milky aromas and a sweet, nutty flavour. The natural rind is beautiful, with lovely mottled patches of grey, brown and orange, giving a deep, earthy aroma to the cheese.

You can almost smell the native pastures that the well-fed sheep graze on as you inhale.

Vanessa says the name is a nod to Aussie farms everywhere, with their bush sheds and old shearing sheds made with stringy bark and tin - such as her own family's 100-year-old shearing shed.

'Tin Sheep Tomme' is the sort of cheese you can imagine on a farmhouse kitchen table, to be grazed on at breakfast, lunch or dinner - simple, honest, unpretentious. I wish there were more cheeses like it.

Pecora Dairy 'Bloomy White'

White mould
Ewe's milk (East Friesian)
Southern Highlands
100g discs
3 weeks maturation
www.pecoradairy.com.au

Isn't this the most stunningly beautiful cheese ever? 'Bloomy White' is the first of Pecora Dairy's cheeses available commercially in Sydney, the culmination of a six year labour of love by Michael and Cressida McNamara. 'Pecora' is the Italian word for sheep, and all of their cheeses are inspired by the ewe's milk cheeses of the French Pyrenees.

Pecora Dairy 'Bloomy White'

Under its delightful, ivory skin - with those tell-tale Geotrichum wrinkles - is a molten layer resembling condensed milk, followed by a very dense, rich and smooth white centre. As with all ewe's milk cheeses, 'Bloomy White' has a very rich mouth-feel and distinctive background sweetness.

Says Michael: "More than anything we wanted a cheeese that showcases the milk. The grassy, citrussy and cream fraiche characteristics of the milk really shine through.

"We spent a great deal of time making sure it looks beautiful and also offers complexity and uniqueness.  We like thinking that the multiple textures and flavours in this delicate cheese create a unique and beautiful cheese." I've no doubt there are exciting times ahead for Pecora Dairy. Watch out, Holy Goat - you now have some serious competition!

Hunter Belle Cheese 'Goldenbelle'

Washed rind
Cow's milk (Brown Swiss)
Hunter Valley
200g logs
7-8 weeks maturation
www.hunterbellecheese.com.au

With its shape and colour resembling a gold ingot, this cheese certainly lives up to its name. 'Goldenbelle' is one of the most delightful washed rinds I've tasted recently - in fact, I'd go so far as to say it's as good as any brand of French Pont l'Évêque available in Sydney.

Hunter Belle 'Goldenbelle'

I ate it right at its 'best before' date (which we all know really should be 'best after') so it was beautifully stinky with just the right amount of funk. The flavour, like most washed rinds, was milder than the aroma, with a lovely milky, creamy texture. It has a great balance between the natural sweetness of the milk and a delicious savoury edge, with just a hint of ammonia in the corners (common in square-shaped cheeses).

Hunter Belle is located at Muswelbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley, a couple of hours from Newcastle and beyond the well-trodden path of the Pokolbin vineyards. All of their cheeses have 'belle' references in their names.

Goldenbelle will be added to my list of perfect summer BBQ cheeses - put it out on a warm day and watch friends enjoy its meaty savouriness with a nice hoppy ale. Cheers!

Jannei 'Bûche Noir'

Ashed Chèvre
Goat's milk (Saanen)
Blue Mountain Ranges
150g rounds or 250g logs
www.jannei.com

For anyone who thinks they "don't like goat's cheese", do yourself a favour and try this. Jannei's 'Bûche Noir' is one of the cleanest-tasting, consistently good goat's milk cheeses in Australia - and it hails from the Blue Mountain Ranges, just past Lithgow.

Jannei 'Bûche Noir'

There are two version of this cheese - 'Bûche Blanc', the 'white' version, and 'Bûche Noir', which is dusted in a very fine layer of black ash.  I prefer the ashed 'Noir'. The charcoal doesn't change the flavour or texture of the cheese, but I find it keeps the surface a bit dryer, and it looks stunning.

Not surprisingly, it just won another gold medal at the ASCA Sydney Cheese Show last month, along with Jannei's Fresh Curd and 'Bent Back' Chèvre.

I love its very smooth texture, lemony zesty tang, and freshing acidity, and the fact that it pairs perfectly with my favourite wine style, young Semillon from the Hunter Valley. Like all goat's cheeses, it's also good with Sauvignon Blanc, but I think the Semillon gives it a unique racy edge.