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.

Binnorie Dairy Marinated Goat Fetta

Fresh (Marinated Fetta-style)
Goat's milk
Hunter Valley
300g jars & 1.5kg buckets
www.binnorie.com.au

This goat's milk version of Binnorie Dairy's flagship Marinated Fetta is an excellent example of the "Persian Fetta" style - creamy and spreadable, rather than firm and 'slice-able' like traditional Greek Feta*.

Binnorie Dairy
Marinated Goat Fetta

Made from locally-sourced goat's milk, large chunks of the cheese are marinated in Binnorie's blend of canola & olive oils with fresh herbs. The thing I like most about it is the balance of flavouring, just the right amount of pepper, fresh thyme and not too much garlic! So many cheeses of this style have overpowering flavours, where you just end up with a mouthful of whole black peppercorns or raw garlic. But cheesemaker Simon Gough knows how to best use the oil and herbs to complement the delicious flavour of the goat's cheese.

Here's one of my favourite ways to use it: Chop some pumpkin and toss in a baking pan with some macadamia nuts and fresh rosemary or thyme, drizzle with some of the marinating oil and bake in a hot oven for about 30 minutes. Boil some pasta and toss the cooked pumpkin through, then top with the fetta. The delicious combination of sweet pumpkin, creamy cheese and crunchy macadamias is hard to beat.

Of course, you can also just enjoy it on crusty bread or crackers - Morpeth Sourdough Crisps are my preferred choice - remembering to soak up as much of the delicious marinade as possible.

*For more on Fetta vs Feta, see my previous post on Small Cow 'Fettice'

Binnorie Dairy 'Buche de Chevre'

Matured goat log
Goat's milk
Hunter Valley
150g logs
2-3 weeks maturation
www.binnorie.com.au

There are two seasons for goat's milk cheeses - Spring and Autumn. In Spring I prefer the light, fresh curds and lemony fresh chevres, the arrival of which heralds the start of the season for me. But in Autumn, I enjoy more mature styles with stronger flavours and firmer textures that can be lingered over.

Binnorie Dairy
'Buche de Chevre'

Binnorie's 'Buche de Chevre', roughly translated as "goat's log", is a perfect Autumn goat's milk cheese. Cheesemaker, and former microbiologist, Simon Gough sources the milk from a single herd near the cheesery at Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine region.

The young cheeses are dusted with vine ash before being left to mature for a couple of weeks. During this time, they develop their bloomy white rinds around the outside. The black ash just under the rind makes for a lovely contrast against the stark white of the cheese, which has a firm, chalky centre, and rich, fudgey texture.

If you're lucky enough to get one that is firm right through, without a runny layer beneath the rind (difficult to achieve with matured goat's milk cheeses) slice it into rounds and melt it on top of field mushrooms that have been baked with a splash of red wine, a sprig of fresh thyme and a generous grind of pepper. The complex, nutty flavours of the cheese perfectly complement the earthiness of the mushrooms. Autumn on a plate.

Hunter Belle Cheese 'Belleyere'

Gruyere-style (Hard Cooked)
Cow's milk (Brown Swiss)
Hunter Valley
~3kg wheels
2-4 months maturation
www.hunterbellecheese.com.au

Hard cheeses are not widely made in Australia, let alone in New South Wales, so Hunter Belle's 'Belleyere' rates a special mention. Pronounced bell-yeah, it is made in a Gruyere-style, and matured for around 3 months.

Hunter Belle 'Belleyere'

Owned and operated by Geoff and Tania Chesworth, Hunter Belle makes cheeses exclusively from the milk of Brown Swiss cows, sourced from a single herd near Singleton. Most of them have belle-themed names, a legacy of the original cheesemaker which is being continued by current cheesemaker Tim Gadischke.

The rich milk from these pasture-fed cows produces a deep, golden colour in the 'Belleyere'. It has the slightly pungent aroma of a smear-ripened cheese like Tilsit, a compact Gruyere texture, a mild Cheddar-like tang, and a lingering sweet aftertaste - a little bit of something for everyone.

Udder Farm Premium Jersey Full Cream Milk

Non-homogenised milk
Jersey cows
Hunter Valley
750ml glass bottles
www.udderfarm.com.au

My first post for the new year takes us back to where it all begins - real milk. As it's also the first post from my new home town of Newcastle, I've chosen something local from the Hunter Valley.

Udder Farm Premium Jersey
Full Cream Milk

This old-fashioned milk is the latest addition to the range of milks, cream and cheese from Greg Haines, a dairy farmer from Luskintyre near Maitland. Greg and his family milk the cows twice each day and bottle their milk several times a week, to be sold in corner stores and markets in the local area.

Already the distinctive glass bottles are developing a cult-like following, with stories circulating of how customers are re-using them in creative ways - from bottling pasta sauce and salad dressings to rainwater and homebrew.

It's real milk with nothing added, and nothing taken away. And it tastes sensational - silky smooth, clean and sweet. I challenge you not to dip in a spoon and eat the thick plug of cream on top.

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!