CHEESE BOX 58 –
February 24
Welcome to our Cheese box 58 – February 24!
Welcome to Belle Chevre!
It’s always a joy to welcome new cheesemakers to The Cheese Wheel family, and even more so now with the loss of several others from the scene. We’ve profiled Belle Chèvre on our website for some time, but with a small herd of goats they’ve struggled to supply enough cheese for us. Until now!
We are very grateful to Jennifer and David for creating a special and unique cheese just for us. Belle Chèvre is amongst the cheese makers looking after their own animals, ensuring they are in control of the end-to-end process.
DILL AND GARLIC GOAT – FROM BELLE CHEVRE
Made exclusively for you, this is a variation of the French Boursin. Boursin is traditionally based on cow milk with extra cream. This beautiful goat version has a different mouth feel, cleaner and fresher. Its taste is also based on herbs, lemon, garlic, pepper, and dill – a delicate counterpoint. Try this with bubbles, a light pilsener, or a soda, and some stonefruit.
Due to circumstances outside our control, some Belle Chevre cheese has been substituted this month by the delicious Zany Zeus feta.
Region: Northland. Type of milk: goat.
BLUE – FROM HOHEPA
Don’t tell anyone, but this is one of our favourites. It’s just delightfully balanced and, of course, made by the talented and good people from Hohepa Hawkes Bay. Great on BBQed meat or on a cheeseboard. Match with a port, a brown ale, or a quality cola.
Region: Hawkes Bay. Type of milk: cow.
ORGANIC BRIE – FROM THE CHEESE BARN
A classic brie is the taste of summer, and this organic version by The Cheese Barn beautifully fits the bill. Let it mature if you like it more runny. Rip a bit off that fresh baguette and be generous with the cheese. This also goes well with stonefruit, and a prosecco, pear juice or a wheat beer.
Region: Thames. Type of milk: cow.
MAASDAM – FROM BARRYS BAY
This cousin of Gouda (it starts the same, but a special bacteria is added and the the cheese is hothoused to encourage bacterial growth which in turn leads to the holes) is another classic , the epitome of ‘nibbilitiy’ by Barrys Bay. Perfect with a Pinot Gris, a light IPA or a light Kombucha.
Region: Banks Peninsula. Type of milk: cow.
