The only lockdown that our goats are experiencing now is their usual one – being permanently locked out of our tree plantings and remnant bushland paddocks. Otherwise, for the goats at least, life goes on, with the rising and setting of the sun and the moon. Milking twice a day, rumination time, grazing time andContinue reading “Brave New (Cheese) World”
Category Archives: Cheese
An Ode to Mary and Brigid’s Well
At the recent Sydney Royal Show Dairy Awards, we were thrilled to win awards for two of our iconic Holy Goat cheeses, Brigid’s Well and Nectar cow/goat semi-hard. Our Brigid’s Well, ash covered, with a wrinkly rind, creamy texture and amazing depth of flavour, is one of our earliest cheeses; we have been crafting herContinue reading “An Ode to Mary and Brigid’s Well”
Obsalim Takes the Cake
Every week we prepare a cake for our staff meeting. But this cake isn’t for morning tea – it’s a poo cake. This poo cake, together with a milk curd test and specific herd observations, forms the basis of our Obsalim practice and is helping us to produce consistently high quality cheese every day, everyContinue reading “Obsalim Takes the Cake”
A must read cheese … plus meet the makers
We’ll be at the upcoming launch of “Reinventing Farmhouse Cheese”, a book by British cheese stalwarts Bronwyn and Francis Percival which focusses on the lost (well, certainly not lost from a Holy Goat perspective!) art of farmhouse cheesemaking; once de rigour across the UK, USA and here in Australia. Global industrialisation of food production hasContinue reading “A must read cheese … plus meet the makers”
Nothing backward about these producers
The only thing backward about the winners of the delicious. Produce Awards is the video that highlights their produce as it travels from the plate, back to the land, or sea, or dairy, or … You can take a look here at the goats ‘backing up’ as well as some great overhead shots of ourContinue reading “Nothing backward about these producers”
Delicious! Holy Goat wins again
The 2016 delicious. Produce Awards were held this week at the Pier One Sydney Harbour Hotel. We couldn’t make it to the affair, attended each year by the who’s who of small, sustainable production, and those who support, sell and cook with their produce. Sally Gosper and the team from our Sydney-based distributor, Simon Johnson attended onContinue reading “Delicious! Holy Goat wins again”
La Luna, Holy Goat’s Holy Grail
Our La Luna is the best known and most rewarded and awarded of the Holy Goat cheeses. And who better to rely on for its successful evolution than a nun? Mother Noella Marcellino is known in cheese making circles as ‘The Cheese Nun’. But this moniker suggests more divine intervention, than the scientific rigor andContinue reading “La Luna, Holy Goat’s Holy Grail”
France, the Font of Holy Goat Cheese
France. Ten days. Sixty Cheeses. And that was just the Affinage Course. We’ve just had three weeks in France where we took part in a specialist cheese course at Mons – Fromager Affineur the Academie Opus Caseus course – to learn more about French cheese and the ripening and maturation of cheeses. Our small groupContinue reading “France, the Font of Holy Goat Cheese”
Life Force and Cheese
Traditionally made cheese is a living, fermented, food; full of living microbes that are dynamically interacting and evolving. It has a life force. The milk comes from amazing dairy animals – goats, sheep, cows, buffalo and others. They have a life force. Our goats (and other dairy animals) produce all the ingredients we needContinue reading “Life Force and Cheese”
Cheesemaking – the Science, and the Art
Our goats have flourished in the spring conditions and milk production reached an all-time high this month. Last month 8400 litres poured into the vat, compared to 5600 litres last spring, and 4200 litres the year before that. But it’s not only sheer volume, the milk is sweet and balanced, with medium protein and fat levels.Continue reading “Cheesemaking – the Science, and the Art”