CHEESE BOX 66 –

October 24

Welcome to our Cheese box 66 – October 24! 

It‘s NZ Cheese Month!

Well, here we are in NZ Cheese Month. It’s in October because, along with the fresh flush of spring growth in pastures comes the bounty of wonderful spring milk and cheeses. Folks have been making cheese in NZ since the mid-1800s and it’s so wonderful to see the explosion of hyper-local cheese-making in recent decades.

Our cheesemakers keep getting better and more adventurous. Winning international awards – Hōhepa being a recent example at the 2024 International Cheese Awards – is becoming normal (and rightly so). To celebrate NZ Cheese Month, please enjoy the  ‘Entertaining with NZ Cheese’ leaflet in your box this month, including fantastic cheese recipes.

Our Christmas box is coming soon

Our limited edition Christmas Cheese Boxes are very popular. We love them too because we have to go through the onerous task of tasting lots of cheese, and then matching them with a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Anyway, watch out, we’ll start taking orders soon.

VINTAGE GOATS MILK GOUDA – FROM MEYER CHEESE

When we discussed this cheese with the Meyer team, they described it as a “rare vintage goats milk gouda”. This is great melted on new season potatoes, or of course just eaten as is. It’s creamy, a little sweet and has a crumbly parmesan texture. It goes well with Syrah, a saison, or a feijoa kombucha.

Region: Waikato. Type of milk: goat

STRACCIATELLA- FROM WAIRIRI CHEESE

Stracciatella (‘rags’ in Italian) mixes mozzarella strings in fresh cream, ideal with savoury dried meat, veggies or on a pizza. It’s used as a filling in Burrata (‘buttery’), small balls of mozzarella. Put some with pancetta and hazelnut on some fresh to asparagus.  Perfect with a chardonnay, a pilsner or a glass of water with a slice of lemon.

Region: Canterbury. Type of milk: buffalo

MESOTOPIA BLUE – FROM GERALDINE CHEESE

Award winner at the 2021 NZ Cheese Awards, Geraldine Mesopotamia Blue is rich, buttery and smooth. It’s great crumbled over vegetables for a spring salad. Try it with a brown ale, a port, or a black tea.

Region: Canterbury. Type of milk: cow

FONTAL – FROM VIAVIO CHEESE

‘Fontal’ is a portmanteau of Fontina (an Italian Swiss raw milk cheese) and Emmental (a Swiss medium hard cheese). It’s a semi-hard washed rind cheese great to eat as is, or even better to melt over some spring mushrooms. Grab a red from the north east of Italy, or a NZ Red IPA.

Region: Nelson-Tasman. Type of milk: cow