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.

Over the Moon Non-Homogenised Yoghurt

Yoghurt
Cow's milk (Jersey)
Mid-North Coast
350g or 550g tubs
www.overthemoonmilk.com.au
www.johnsonsfarmgate.com.au

OK, so it's not exactly cheese, but it's one step closer to immortality than plain old milk. Not that there's anything plain about Over the Moon milk - it's 100% Jersey, non-homogenised and absolutely luscious! The milk comes from a single herd of grass-fed Jersey cows in the Hastings Valley, near Wauchope, and is sold by Johnson's Farmgate at various farmers' markets around Sydney and the Hunter Valley.

Over the Moon Yoghurt

The yoghurt is just full cream milk with cultures - no thickeners, no milk solids, no flavourings. I picked it up at the Newcastle Farmers' Market on the weekend.

Like non-homogenised milk, there's a thick layer of cream on the top. Underneath, the yoghurt might look a little lumpy, but the texture is silky smooth, and the flavour is mild and sweet with a very faint lemony tang. It has an absolutely clean, refreshing finish, with no cloying mouthfeel. So many commercial plain yoghurts leave a distinct 'essence of wet cow' character lingering on the back of my palate, but not this one.

When I asked the farmer what the cows are eating at the moment, he answered proudly, "grass". I commented that it's obvious they're not being fed silage, because there's no nutty flavours. "Just wait till Spring when the clover comes on," he said. "You can really taste the difference then." I'm looking forward to that.