Binnorie Brie

White Mould
Cow's milk
Hunter Valley
1kg wheels
www.binnorie.com.au

It's time to celebrate the end of another year of discovering great local cheeses. How better to do it than with a whole wheel of brie? It's the cheese equivalent of comfort food - mild, creamy, and not too challenging.

Binnorie Brie

Binnorie Brie is one of the best value around. It's often released quite young, so buy a whole wheel to keep for a few weeks in the fridge, and enjoy it at its peak, near the best before date.

Cheese-maker Simon Gough has created a consistently good cheese that is smooth and creamy when fully ripe, with sweet butter flavours and a hint of mushrooms.

Pair it with a bottle of bubbles and a baguette for an instant crowd-pleaser.

So here's to a cheesy new year, and another 365 days of eating, enjoying and discovering more delicious local cheeses.

Small Cow Farm 'PetitVache'

White Mould
Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
1kg wheels/250g wheels
4-6 weeks maturation
www.smallcowfarm.com

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more consistent Brie and Camembert in Australia that those produced by Small Cow Farm. In my many years eating, selling and enjoying these cheeses, they have always been ripe and flavoursome, and with individual characteristics reflecting the seasons.

Small Cow Farm 'PetitVache'
Brie and Camembert

Both Brie and Camembert are produced with the moniker 'PetitVache' - a literal translation of "Small Cow" into French - but are distinguished by their size. Generally I find the Brie to be milder but more buttery, and the Camembert tends to have more developed flavours with stronger, mushroomy notes.

While the Williams' don't use their own Dexter milk to make these delectable softies anymore, they still source all of the milk from neighbouring farms in the Southern Highlands. The high annual rainfall and rich, lush pastures in this part of the state create luscious milk ideal for making soft cheeses.

I particularly like them in Summer, because they pair so beautifully with stone fruits. The combination of ripe, juicy peach with a generous wedge of buttery brie is as perfect as,  well... peaches and cream.