“The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese,” G K Chesterton once noted. But the following masters of mould certainly are not. See what they have to say about their favourite curds, plus the ins and outs of the cheesemaking arts.
By Jessica Keller
0/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Wildes Cheese 1
“The cheese I consider to be [my] best is a cheese called the Alexandra; it has a creamy, almost soft texture with a sharp and summer-like flavour. It won a World Cheese award this year – a very proud moment for me. It has a partner called Howard, which is the same style of cheese but with an earthier blue taste. These two cheeses are designed to sit together on any cheese board like yin and yang or Cagney and Lacey.” – Philip Wilton of Wildes Cheese
1/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Wildes Cheese 2
“Personally I love a toasted cheese sandwich made with our St Bruce cheese, tomatoes and a spicy chutney, washed down with a beer from Redemption Brewing (our local brewer).” – Philip Wilton of Wildes Cheese
2/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Wildes Cheese 3
“I love being a cheesemaker. It’s the last alchemy, a form of magic. We design our own cheeses, and the most challenging thing is the agonising wait before we try our creations and see what we have created.” – Philip Wilton of Wildes Cheese
3/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Alsop and Walker 1
“The most exciting news at the moment is that after 3 years, Lord London – a semi-soft cheese – has finally gotten married; Lady London is in the shape of a log, a soft pasteurised cow’s milk [cheese] with a white mould, tastes very creamy and carries on developing to be very runny. As you can imagine, Lord London is very taken with her!” – Arthur Alsop of Alsop and Walker
4/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Alsop and Walker 2
Lady London is to be enjoyed “with a savoury cracker and a slightly chilled red pinot noir; or a bramble whisky liqueur from Demijohn, although Lord London argues that it’s not necessary to have her on a biscuit.” – Arthur Alsop of Alsop and Walker
5/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Alsop and Walker 3
On cheesemaking: “The protein and butterfat is constantly changing as the weather, seasons and feeds change, so you are always having to adjust the way you make and cut your curds. Being a small cheesemaker, we don’t use high-tech equipment to assess the milk; it is purely [based on the] visual, and the sound it makes as the first drop hits the vat. – Arthur Alsop of Alsop and Walker
6/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Over the Moon 1
“Galactic Gold is our signature cheese, a pungent French-style washed rind with a creamy paste and pale orange rind. It’s won many major awards and is loved by our foodie followers. When it’s really ripe it’s not for the faint-hearted!” – Sue Arthur of Over the Moon
7/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Over the Moon 2
“It’s best enjoyed on a cheeseboard with dates or figs and smeared on fresh French bread accompanied by a glass of medium intensity Pinot Noir. It’s also great baked in the oven until it’s quite gooey, then scooped out with bread.” – Sue Arthur of Over the Moon
8/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Over the Moon 3
“The most challenging thing about being an artisan cheesemaker in New Zealand is encouraging people to try new and different cheeses – our traditions are in the traditional English products like cheddar, and it’s encouraging to see the range of styles slowly increasing.” – Sue Arthur of Over the Moon
9/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Buffalo Ridge 1
“My pride is our buffalo milk mozzarella. It’s made without preservatives, additives or colourants. The mozzarella ball has an alabaster colour and is soft and springy to the touch. The ball has a soft centre which peels in layers like an onion. On the palate it has a clean, fresh entry which evolves into a long, creamy aftertaste. There is no fatty residue.” – Wayne Rademeyer of Buffalo Ridge
10/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Buffalo Ridge 2
“Traditionally, buffalo mozzarella has been enjoyed as the principal component of insalata caprese. Buffalo mozzarella is, however, more versatile than that and can be enjoyed in a multitude of salads, in terrines, as a flavour component in baked dishes such as melanzane parmigiana or lasagna, to launch a pizza into immortality or be enjoyed on its own. Buffalo mozzarella marries well with most wine and beer.” – Wayne Rademeyer of Buffalo Ridge
11/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Buffalo Ridge 3
“Making buffalo mozzarella by hand is based on feel and experience rather than a recipe. The quality of the milk we obtain from our water buffalo herd is of paramount importance, given that we do not adjust or supplement our products through additives in any way. We are therefore dependent upon the seasons. ” – Wayne Rademeyer of Buffalo Ridge
12/14
Food
Meet The Makers: Our Top 4 Artisan Cheesemakers.
Buffalo Ridge 4
“It’s extremely rewarding when everything aligns and the process runs smoothly, producing a perfect ball of mozzarella in terms of appearance, texture and flavour. The production only takes a few hours from receiving the milk to packing the end product for sale, so I’m able to see the results the same day.” – Wayne Rademeyer of Buffalo Ridge
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