They say that age is not important... unless you're a cheese.
Curious facts about our cheese and the way we make it.
Being left on the shelf is nothing to be ashamed of.
Extra ageing of cheese allows big flavours to develop. We age our cheese on white pine shelves because white pine doesn't impart any extra, unwanted flavours into the cheese.
The sign of a fine cheddar.
If you discover a crystal-like substance on the surface and inside your aged cheddar, don't be alarmed. This is a good thing and a natural consequence of a well-aged cheese. It is caused by the calcification and crystallisation of milk sugars.
How to eat a true blue.
Next time you feel like eating blue cheese, leave it out of the fridge for at least two hours. Even though our Peninsula Blue has already spent a good amount of time 'blueing up' in our blue room, it tastes even better at room temperature.
Old brine makes a tasty cheese.
Brine plays an important role in creating the unique flavours of Barrys Bay Cheese. That's because we've been floating our cheese in the same brine for more than 20 years, so the brine has developed a special flavour of its own, which adds to the flavour of our cheese.
The creamiest Havarti in the land.
To make our Havarti extra creamy, we hand skim the cream off the top of the milk used to make Edam, then add this to the whole milk used to make Havarti. This is also why Edam is lower in fat than other cheeses.
Never underestimate a cheese cutter.
A cheese cutter's job is to hand cut a wheel of cheese into pieces that are the same size and weight. A simple enough job, you would think. But not all cheese wheels are the same – they can vary in weight by up to 3kgs, which means the cutter is always having to adjust the cut.
What makes the many holes in Maasdam?
Actually, they're called 'eyes' and are the result of a secondary fermentation process. Maasdam wheels are placed in a room where the temperature is raised to 16 degrees. This causes small explosions in the cheese wheels, which form the eyes that are characteristic of this style. Once they are fully 'blown', the wheels are coated in wax.
What to do with cheese.
When we're not making cheese, we're thinking of ways to enjoy it. Here are some ideas.
The Strawberry Cheese Split
What could be simpler - a punnet of strawberries and 140gms of Peppered Havarti are all you need.
• Remove the core and cut each strawberry almost in half.
• Insert a thin piece of Peppered Havarti in the slot.
Barry's Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup with Maasdam Wonton Floaters
150g butter
1 medium sized leek (white part only), sliced
1 small onion, sliced
½ medium whole cauliflower
3 large potatoes peeled and diced
1.75 litres of water
1 tablespoon of salt
165g Wainui Special Aged cheddar
Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Sweat leeks and onions over a low heat until they soften. Cut cauliflower into small florets and add to the pan with the potatoes. Stir well. Add the water and salt and simmer for about an hour.
Blend while still warm with handheld blender. Add the Wainui cheddar and blend again until thoroughly combined and the texture is smooth. Do not boil after adding cheese.
Maasdam Wontons
Fresh wonton wrappers
100g grated Barrys Bay Maasdam cheese
Place a heaped teaspoon of grated cheese in the centre of each wonton wrapper. Deep fry until golden.
Chive Oil (optional)
A bunch of fresh chives
Olive oil
Puree together and strain.
To Serve:
Ladle soup into bowls. Float a Maasdam wonton on top and drizzle with chive oil. Serves 6.
