With its beautiful, lush, rolling meadows and cattle dotting them like tufts of clouds at the turn of virtually every bend, New Zealand is possibly the best adapted country for all purposes relating to dairy products. New Zealand has much more than just that going for it — it has the advantage of being in the southern hemisphere and beats the seasonal roadblocks that the rest of the world faces when it comes to making, curing, preserving and selling cheese. The cold Southerlies and oceanic currents lend a milder climatic template to this little island country, safely distanced from the harsher continental influences. Also, thanks to the fact that the summer months are considered optimal for cheese-making in general, and because in the winters, there is ample scope for making smaller batches with the help of artificial heating systems that can support the moderate-low temperatures, cheese is quite effortlessly made all year through in New Zealand. So, when the cheese makers get down to their best creations during the Southern summer — November to January — there is little to no demand from the outside markets. But, between April and June, when their supplies are scarce from overselling, New Zealand typically has plenty of ripe cheese ready for the taking.
Where science and art meet
Cheese-making is that rare mix of science and art: it takes knowledge about everything, from the breed of the cattle and the fertility of the land they graze on (for instance, the abundance of alluvial plains from years of mountain erosions make for a vast, fertile farm bed in both South and North islands), to the richness of the milk, on one hand. On the other, it is about working with textural compositions and flavour combinations, like an artist does with patterns and colours, even outside the confines of the canvas and palette.
Serving cheese is no less of an art. It requires careful consideration of the menu, the wine, and whether the cheese course should precede the main course or not. The talent and taste of the hostess becomes more significant than her cooking skills, when it comes to cheese servings. A solid, kingly Roquefort would do well on its own with a Bordeaux, and a buff feta would shine through with Prosecco. If a seasonal theme board is the order of the day, the cap on the assortment of cheeses is usually at eight, and the wine should probably be a Riesling or a Port. Soft cheeses are brought out just before the sampling, and hard cheeses are left to come to room temperature, covered with a clean, damp cloth.
Moo matters
The Kiwis have excelled in the field of cheese-making, and right from Dutch cheeses to Italian ones, they have it all covered. Most big names sell out of supermarkets and their in-house stores or cafés. Massimo’s makes some really good mozzarella, and have award-winning ricotta and provolone cheeses in their kitty too. Their recipes originate from Puglia, Italy, which is where the owners Massimo and Marina hail from. The Te Aroha folks produce organic goat cheese varieties with hints of traditional Dutch spices such as nettle and cumin among others. Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Company makes delicious pecorino and brie. The Kaimai Cheese Company and Over The Moon Dairy Company have viewing facilities at their on-site stores, where cheese-making demonstrations and tasting sessions are organised. Kapiti has an exclusive range of international-style cheeses, as well as their signature Kiwi-style ones, such as Kikorangi and the Pakari aged cheddar varieties. At the picturesque Puhoi Valley, the French cheesemaker Franck Beaurain has been churning out special cheeses for about three decades now. Their single-cream camembert, and matured washed rind cheese with splashes of citrusy flavours are hugely popular, followed by basil pesto feta.
There are a few artisan cheese-makers spread across the North and South islands, who are crafting some excellent cheeses using traditional methods. Cheese and wine tours are fast becoming the main highlight of road trips around the country, from far up North in Kerikeri, right down to Invercargill. Small family-owned farms produce some of the most exclusive-tasting cheeses, like the hatea by Grinning Gecko in Whangarei, and the Cwmglyn Farmhouse hard cheese made near Wellington. Several Farmers’ Markets such as Matakana and Otago offer a premium range of these artisan cheeses too. The cheese culture in New Zealand, which possibly owes its inception to Bohemian settlers in the 17th Century, is thriving today under the able guidance of world citizens, and stands on a scale that tips slightly right of bittersweet.
Cheesy fact: Cheese is older than the written word. That’s right! People were eating cheese before they could write the recipe for it. Scientists in Poland discovered people were eating cheese as long back as 7,500 years ago.
