Second Mouse Cheese Co 'Frieda' & 'Henri'

Frieda
Washed Rind
100g squares

Henri
Semi-hard
2kg wheels

Cow's milk
Central West
secondmousecheeseco.com.au  

At about this time every year, I share my latest finds from judging at the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show. This year I discovered two cheeses - Frieda and Henri. I had 'met' Frieda a few years ago, when she had just been created by cheesemaker Kai Woltman, of Second Mouse Cheese Co. Since then, I've watched her evolve and she is now looking (and tasting) stunning, with her proud orange rind, silky interior and bold but balanced flavour.

Second Mouse Cheese Co
'Frieda'

Frieda is named after Kai's mother, who was still alive when Kai created the cheese in her honour. "She had a very strong personality," says Kai, "so it made sense to create a washed rind cheese for her." Kai grew up in Germany, and lived across the road from a cheesemaker who produced Tilsit. Like most Germans, he ate cheese every day.

When both of Kai's parents passed away a couple of years ago, he decided to create a cheese named after his father, Henri. Kai's father and family had a small dairy in Germany, and they made fresh cheeses for their own enjoyment. "My father was a sweet, kind man," said Kai, which is reflected in the sweet, milky flavours of Henri (the cheese).

Second Mouse Cheese Co
'Henri'

The cheese is a unique semi-hard style - "not Gouda, or Edam or Swiss," explains Kai, but inspired by all of those classics. It has a lovely natural rind and golden interior, which is strewn with small 'eyes' reminiscent of proper Danish Havarti. The supple texture balances beautifully with the mild, milky flavour, and it finishes with a lovely sweet note.

Both cheeses are a fitting tribute to their namesakes.

Over the Moon Camembert

White mould
Cow's milk
New England
200g wheels
www.johnsonsfarmgate.com.au/otm

If you're a regular attendee at many of the farmers' markets around Newcastle or Sydney, you'll be no stranger to Over the Moon milk, in all its 100% Jersey, non-homogenised, luxurious glory. The milk has a cult-like following, and is sold by Johnson's Farmgate, along with their fresh produce sourced from growers in the Upper Hunter Valley.

Over the Moon
Camembert

They've recently added a Camembert-style cheese to their range of dairy products. I bought one recently at the Newcastle City Farmers' Market, and it's not a bad first effort. In fact, once I let it ripen properly for a few extra weeks, it was better than many established brands. The texture was rich and smooth, and the flavour was creamy with deep savoury notes - something I look for (and rarely find) in Aussie white mould cheeses.

The cheese is made by John & Lia Christensen of New England Cheese, in the tiny town of Nowendoc (population 157) along Thunderbolt's Way. Some years ago, New England Cheese produced some impressive goat's milk cheeses, but then took a break from cheesemaking to concentrate on milk production.

But now that they're back in the cheesemaking business, you will likely see some of their new creations featured here in future posts. If this Camembert is anything to go by, you'll be over the moon when you try them.

Bodalla Dairy 'Gumleaf Smoked'

Smoked Cheddar
Cow's milk
South Coast
100g portions
~3 months maturation
www.bodalladairyshed.com.au

Bodalla Dairy is one of the newest kids on the NSW cheese block, and while they mostly make club cheese, a few natural cheeses are being churned out too. One of them is 'Gumleaf Smoked' - real cheddar cheese, which is really smoked.

Bodalla Dairy
'Gumleaf Smoked'

Owner and bush tucker enthusiast, Sandra McCuaig, told me she cuts up the gum leaves with scissors, creates a smouldering fire, then carefully cold-smokes the cheese for about 7 hours.

The result? The mildly sweet tang of a young cheddar, laced with a subtle hint of smoke. It's beautifully balanced, and there's not a hint of eucalyptus in the flavour - so you can banish any thoughts of lozenge-laced cheese from your imagination!

It's delicious on its own, but sensational on a toasted sandwich or melted over a burger.

While the South Coast of NSW might be thought of as strictly cheddar territory, Bodalla Dairy's cheesemaker, Lukas Klekowski, is experimenting with soft ripened cheeses, and other styles beyond those familiar yellow blocks. Stay tuned...

Nimbin Valley Dairy 'Sainte Billie'

Surface-ripened lactic
Goat's milk (mixed Saanen, Toggenberg, British Alpine)
Northern Rivers
60g discs
~1 month maturation
www.nimbinvalley.com.au

I can't decide what I like best about this cute little button - its dense, fudgey texture, its ivory, wrinkled skin, or its delicately balanced creamy and lemony flavours.

Nimbin Valley Dairy
'Sainte Billie'

Cheesemaker Paul Wilson has taken inspiration from beautiful French goat's milk cheeses such as Saint-Felicien, Pelardon, Rocamadour and Cabecou. None of those is available in Australia, which makes Sainte Billie even more likeable.

This style of cheese requires great skill to create, and even greater skill to produce really well. Sainte Billie is up there with the best in the country.

In fact, I think what I like best about Sainte Billie is its size - perfect for one. When cheese is this good, who wants to share?

La Stella Latticini 'Nodini'

Stretched curd
Cow's milk
Sydney
30g each
www.lastellalatticini.com.au

"Passion, as everyone knows, is red." That's the first thing you'll read when you open the La Stella Latticini website. "In our case, though, it's white."

My passion is finding beautiful new cheeses, and this is the first Nodini I've come across in NSW. They're "little knots" that fit in the palm of your hand, made in the same way as fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, but hand-tied into a knot instead of shaped into a ball.

La Stella Latticini
'Nodini'

I judged the Nodini at the Sydney Royal Cheese Show last month, and awarded them a gold medal, along with La Stella Latticini's beautiful burrata, and light-as-a-cloud ricotta.

It wasn't just the shape that caught my eye, but the beautifully fine filaments when I tore the knots apart. Fine filaments - like shredded, cooked chicken breast - are the mark of fine craftsmanship in stretched curd cheeses, and these are the finest I've seen in years. And the flavour was clean and sweet, and marvellously milky.

How to eat? Simply with cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil, or with the Autumn bounty of fresh figs and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

Small Cow Farm 'Rustic' Blue

Blue vein
Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
random weight portions

www.smallcowfarm.com

As we celebrate the many great things about Australia, spare a thought for our artisan cheesemakers and small dairy farmers. It might be our national day, but animals still need milking, cheeses still need turning and there's no such thing as overtime rates for working on a public holiday.

Small Cow Farm
'Rustic' Blue

While it's nice to know they're there, our artisan cheese producers won't survive unless we buy their cheese, and buy it often. If you're not sure where to start, here's a tip: all of the cheeses featured here are handmade by real people - usually in small batches, and often with milk from their own animals.

Rustic Blue is the latest creation from cheesemaker Mark Williams at Small Cow Farm. It's been available for about a year, and is still a work in progress, but its quality and character are consistent.

In shape, size and texture, it reminds me of Fourme d'Ambert, from the Auvergne region of France. It's creamier and milder than their signature Small Cow Blue, which has intense blue notes and a spicy finish. 'Rustic' Blue is more earthy and approachable - perfect for lazy grazing and casual scoffing.

So, celebrate Australia Day with artisan cheese, and help advance Australian fare.

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.

Paesanella Ricotta

Fresh
Cow's milk
Sydney
1kg & 2kg baskets
www.paesanella.com.au

Paesanella means 'country peasant girl' in the Italian dialect of Umberto Somma, who founded Paesanella Cheese Manufacturers in 1962. That's right, 1962 - making them one of the first artisan cheese producers in NSW.

Paesanella Ricotta

It's fitting, then, that their flagship cheese is an ingenious peasant food. Ricotta - which means "re-cooked" in Italian - was originally created to ensure that nothing went to waste. In its most traditional form, ricotta is made from the whey left-over from making cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, the other signature cheese from Paesanella. Traditional whey ricotta has a very light texture and a flavour reminiscent of egg white, or albumen.

Most modern ricotta in Australia, including Paesanella's, is now produced with whole milk, rather than left-over whey. The best examples still achieve the texture of the traditional style, but the flavour is more milky and less eggy.

You can still buy fresh Paesanella ricotta in the basket - still warm if you get there early enough - from the Marrickville factory, every morning except Saturdays. Spread some on fruit toast and drizzle with honey for the perfect cheesy breakfast.

Nimbin Valley Dairy 'Sweet Goat'

Semi-hard
Goat's milk (mixed Saanen, Toggenberg, British Alpine)
Northern Rivers
3kg wheels
3-6 months maturation
www.nimbinvalley.com.au

Close your eyes and take a bite of Sweet Goat, and you could be in the French Alps, nibbling Tomme de Chevre. But chances are, you're probably surrounded by the verdant pastures of the Nimbin Valley, because this cheese is rarely found beyond the Northern Rivers region.

Nimbin Valley Sweet Goat

Cheesemaker Paul Wilson has crafted a beautiful cheese with a mild, earthy aroma, thanks to a rustic rind mottled with pinks, whites and browns. The texture is smooth and supple, and the flavour is reminiscent of hazelnuts, with hints of caramel.

We are fortunate to have cheese-makers like Paul in NSW. Not only does he make great cheese, he wants to make even better cheese, and has travelled to France twice in the last couple of years to improve his craft.

I was lucky enough to try a Sweet Goat that had been matured for more than six months. I ordered it when it was made last Spring, and waited patiently until Autumn, when Paul was satisfied that it had reached its potential. When I tasted it for the first time, I was overwhelmed by its heady aromas, and marvelled at its clean, complex flavours and long finish.

I would happily declare it the best aged goat's cheese I've tasted in years.

Pecora Dairy Fresh Curd

Fresh
Ewe's milk (East Friesian)
Southern Highlands
www.pecoradairy.com.au

At about this time every year, I get very excited about fresh goat's curd signalling the arrival of Spring. This year there's a new reason to get excited: the Fresh Curd from Pecora Dairy, made from ewe's milk.

Pecora Dairy Fresh Curd

As cheese-maker Michael McNamara explained, the curd is rich and earthy in Autumn, when the ewes are reaching the end of their lactation cycle, then re-emerges in Spring with fresh, spritely flavours, capturing the essence of the new season.

The pretty pat of curd has a dense texture, almost like cream cheese, and the sweetness of the ewe's milk shines through. At such a chaotic time of year, with torrential rain, lambing and the flush of new milk to deal with, it's wonderful to know that Michael and Cressy can find enough calm moments to create such simple, beautiful cheese.

The curd is equally good with sweet and savoury foods. I crumbled half of it on top of vege nachos - like an authentic queso fresco - and gobbled up the rest for breakfast on pancakes drizzled with honey.

Country Valley Washed Rind

Washed Rind
Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
Random weight wedges
6 weeks maturation
www.countryvalley.com.au

Country Valley has been supplying milk to local cheesemakers for many years, so it makes sense that they recently developed their own cheese range.

Country Valley Washed Rind

The cheeses aren't made at the farm near Picton - John Fairley and the team are too busy producing their delicious milk and sensational yoghurt - but made under licence by High Valley Wine & Cheese Co in Mudgee. If you turn over the Washed Rind cheese, you'll notice it actually has "Mudgee Rouge" printed on the back of the label.

The faint orange hue, and faintly pungent aroma, hint at the cheese's character. It's relatively mild as far as washed rinds go, but delivers a step up in flavour from their Brie. The flavour is very clean, without the unpleasant animal notes that can develop in some washed rind cheeses - testament to Country Valley's high quality milk.

Like their yoghurt, the cheese has a glossy, voluptuous texture, and is delicious dolloped on fresh, crusty bread, with a glass of something bubbly.

AusBuff Stuff Buffalo Mozzarella

Stretched Curd
Buffalo milk (with 20% cow's milk)
Mid-North Coast
110g tubs

Like many cheese-lovers who travel to Italy, Ian and Kim Massingham fell in love with fresh buffalo mozzarella. They were so inspired by the cheese that they purchased a herd of buffalo and the necessary equipment to make cheese, travelled to Italy again to learn from the experts, and haven't looked back.

They're currently making fresh mozzarella - and other fresh cheeses and gelato - using frozen buffalo milk transported from Cairns, blended with a little cow's milk sourced locally.

Lucky for them, buffalo milk can be frozen and transported very successfully, and the results are promising, with clean flavours and good textures in the cheese so far. They hope to make the switch to milk from their own herd "any day now"; when that happens, they'll be the only farmhouse buffalo milk cheesemakers in NSW.

You'll find son Nathan at several farmers' markets between Sydney and the QLD boarder, peddling their fresh cheeses, gelato and buffalo meat products - just look for the buffalo-esque moustache.


AusBuff Stuff
Buffalo Mozzarella

While we tend to think of fresh mozzarella as a summer cheese, the Massingham's herd produces milk all year round, and the cheese is available year-round too

So grab some late season figs, toss them in a bowl with freshly picked rocket, and tear the mozzarella into chunks. Dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper, and you have the perfect autumn lunch.

Pecora Dairy 'Mezza'

Semi-hard
Ewe's milk (East Friesian)
Southern Highlands
random weight wedges
8 weeks-8 months maturation
www.pecoradairy.com.au

Most wine-lovers are prepared to pay more for an aged bottle of wine, but would the average cheese-lover fork out a few extra dollars for a matured cheese?

It's a dilemma many small cheesemakers face - how to balance cash-flow with a desire to produce cheeses that require maturation of more than a few weeks. Think of it this way - every 1kg of cheese sitting quietly in a cheese maturation cellar represents around 10 litres of milk that the cheesemaker has not yet made any return on.

Pecora Dairy 'Mezza'

At peak maturity of 8 or 9 months, Pecora Dairy's "Mezza" has all the richness, complexity and elegance of the best Basque-style cheeses, the best-known of which is Ossau-Iraty.

It's a shame, then, that most of the "Mezza" sold is barely a few months old. The younger version is a very pleasant cheese with clean, fresh flavours, but the aged version fills the mouth with toasted nuts and caramel and lingers with a hint of lanolin on the finish. And there's something magical about the very fine-grained texture, which is smooth and dense and utterly scoffable.

(Scoffable, by the way, is not a technical term, and unlikely to have been used by any of the judges who recently awarded Mezza a gold medal at the Sydney Royal Cheese Show.)

So my plea is two-fold: please, wonderful cheesemakers, have the confidence and patience to give your beautiful cheeses the time they deserve to fully develop their potential. And please, dear consumers, reward their efforts by paying a little bit more for these cheeses that are aged to perfection.

Small Cow Farm 'Redella'

Washed Rind
Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
180g round
4-6 weeks maturation
www.smallcowfarm.com

Your idea of a luscious red might be a fruity red wine, or a bunch of ripe cherries, but mine is a gooey washed rind cheese. Like human red-heads, these sticky, stinky cheeses are actually orange, and are renowned for their bold personalities.


Small Cow Farm
'Redella'

For a mild introduction to the world of smelly cheese, try the latest addition to the Small Cow Farm range. Named 'Redella', it has the same smooth texture as their 'PetitVache' range, and the faint pungent aroma you would expect of a washed rind cheese.

'Redella' is intentionally mild, as it's based on a French cheese called 'Langres'. The French original is often served with Champagne poured over the top, which adds a little boost of flavour, but for my money, 'Redella' wins in the flavour stakes.

I'm also a fan of the packaging, a very French-style miniature wooden box, which prevents the soft, gooey cheese from spilling lava-like from the wrapper. It's unique in the Australia cheese-scape, and perfectly fits in with cheese-maker Mark Williams' aim to produce cheeses that are "special and different".

Highland Organics 'Fresco Pecorino' & 'Grana Pecorino'

Semi-hard / Hard
Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
random weight portions (approx 150g)
3 weeks / 3 months maturation
www.highlandorganics.com.au

If you haven't tried Highland Organics cheeses for a while, they're worth another look. Cheesemaker David Snibson took over as production manager in January 2012, and the range has expanded to include new cheese styles as well as unhomogenised milk and yoghurt.

David has changed more than just the packaging, and the cheeses are now of a higher and more consistent quality.

Highland Organics 'Fresco Pecorino'
(old packaging)

The 'Fresco Pecorino' is part of the original range, and is exactly as described on the package: a soft cooking cheese. So it's perfect for things like eggplant parmigiana, toasted panini and good old mac 'n' cheese.

Matured for just a few weeks ("fresco" is the Italian word for "fresh"), it has a supple, meltable texture and mild cheesey flavour, making it a great kitchen staple.

The 'Grana Pecorino' is one of David's new additions. It's essentially a matured version of the 'Fresco', with the recipe tweeked slightly to produce a drier cheese more suited to longer maturation.


Highland Organics 'Grana Pecorino'
(new packaging)

'Grana' is a hard grating cheese, in the style of Italian Parmesan, making it another great everyday cheese to have in your fridge. While David would like to be able to mature it for up to nine months, most of it is packaged for sale at three months maturation, to meet customer demand.

At three months, it has a wonderfully flakey texture and rich, savoury flavour, which makes my cheesey heart sing, as there are so few decent hard cheeses being made in NSW.

I just have one small gripe: if your cheese isn't made from sheep's milk, please don't call it 'Pecorino'. The names 'Fresco' and 'Grana' accurately describe these cheeses - and they emulate those Italian originals very well - so perhaps the 'Pecorino' part could simply be dropped.


Little Creek Cheese 'BBQ Cheese'

Haloumi-style
Cow's milk
Central Coast
Approx. 200g random weight packs
www.littlecreekcheese.com.au

Summer may have ended, but it's never too late to throw another piece of cheese on the barbie.

I discovered this appropriately-named "BBQ cheese" (aka haloumi) while judging at this year's Sydney Royal Cheese Show. It was the only gold-medal cheese in the Haloumi class, and I was delighted when I found out it came from this small producer on the Central Coast.

Little Creek 'BBQ Cheese'

The Little Creek Cheese team consists of Russell & Sue Parsons, and Sue's son Alex Nelson, and they've been making cheese in the old Wyong milk factory for almost two years. Milk comes from the Riverina co-op and the cheeses are sold at the factory and various farmers' markets on the Central Coast.

So what makes a gold-medal-winning haloumi? When seared in a hot pan (we don't use oil when judging), the surface should caramelise evenly, and the inside should soften without running too much. The texture shouldn't be tough or chewy, and the salt shouldn't overpower the fresh, milky flavours.

Little Creek's excellent example ticks all of those boxes, and comes with a catchy name too. After all, isn't it what most of us do with haloumi?

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'

Marrook Farm 'Mountain Swiss' (aka 'Potholes')

Mountain-style
Cow's milk (Ayrshire)
Mid-North Coast
www.marrookfarm.com.au

The good people at Feather & Bone in Sydney recently introduced me to another fine, Swiss-style cheese from Marrook Farm. When they first took delivery of this new creation, they asked cheesemaker David Marks why he hadn't named it after a local land-mark, like his other hard cheeses, 'Bulga' and 'Brinawa'. In typical, straight-talking style, David replied that there were indeed a lot of potholes in the local area.

Marrook Farm 'Potholes'

While it is tempting to call the cheese an Emmental-style - that stereotypical "Swiss" cheese with holes in it - David insists it's not. It does utilise Propionibacteria to form the holes (these bacteria produce CO2 during the cheese's maturation, which pools inside the cheese forming holes or 'eyes'), it's not made using a 'hard-cooked' method like other Swiss-style cheeses. In fact, the recipe and method is a closely guarded secret, which David and his neighbour, a retired cheesemaker, came up with while experimenting last year.

Most cheesemakers would take months or years to develop cheese of this quality through experimentation, trial and error, but David just seems to have the knack when it comes to mountain-style cheeses.

Of all Marrook Farm's hard cheeses, I think 'Potholes' shows off the sweetness of the farm's milk best. The aroma of sweet, cultured cream gives way to a delighfully supple texture, filling the mouth with flavours of cultured butter, mushrooms and a hint of sweetness. It would probably make an excellent cooking cheese - think fondue made with 'Potholes' for melt-ability and 'Bulga' for depth of flavour - but I wouldn't know, because I ate the whole piece on its own.

Like all of Marrook Farm's hard cheeses, 'Potholes' is only made when the cows are exclusively feeding on pasture, so availability is seasonal. But well worth seeking out.

Country Valley 'Lush' Natural Yoghurt

Cow's milk
Southern Highlands
500g tubs
www.countryvalley.com.au

Since leaving Sydney at the end of last year, I really miss my daily fix of Country Valley yoghurt. Most days I ate it for breakfast, and it was normally the last thing I ate at the end of the day too, just a spoonful to settle my stomach before bed.

Country Valley 'Lush' Natural Yoghurt

Why do I love it? Because it's natural. And by that, I mean it is only made with two ingredients - milk and cultures. No thickeners like gelatin or vegetable gums, no stablisers, no 'non-fat milk solids' (whatever they are), no flavours, no colours and no sweeteners. Take a look at the ingredients list on so many commercially-made yoghurts these days, and most will have at least 2 of these additives; some will have all of them!

Unlike pot-set yoghuts, which often have a slightly lumpy texture and a little bit of free whey oozing from the top, Country Valley 'Lush' is thick, glossy and voluptuous.

And it's also really acidic. Yoghurt is supposed to have a sharp, citric tang, and this is one of the most acidic on the market. I'm probably in the minority, but I love eating it straight. When I told 'John the Milkman' himself, he couldn't believe I liked it unadulterated. So I asked him, if he thinks it's too acidic, why make it that way? He said he likes to give customers the option of adding honey or fruit to suit their own taste. Fair enough.

For those who just can't take that sharp, mouth-puckering tang, John and Sally Fairley also make a naturally sweetened version (somewhat confusingly labelled "Plain Yoghurt", in a blue tub), which is a lot easier on the palate. It still has a sharp acidity underneath, but it's perfectly balanced by just the right amount of sweetness.

So perfect, in fact, that it won Champion Yoghurt at the Sydney Royal Dairy Produce Show this year. Again.

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.