Our Cheeses

This is a 'washed rind' cheese, from a tradition that began in the Middle Ages, when cheeses were dipped in wine or spirits, encouraging them to develop colour and flavour. Mahau Gold has been regularly bathed in local sauvignon blanc, giving it a deep yellow-brown colour and distinctive, aromatic taste. As winter deepens, so does the smelly character of the cheese. Cook with it or eat it straight, with slices of crisp, tart apples or a hunk of fresh bread. You will find that the summer form of Mahau Gold really intensifies the passionfruit flavour in a glass of Marlborough sauvignon blanc. Also great with pinot noir.

Adapted from a recipe for Stilton, the most famous of English blues, this cheese is much loved by the cheese-maker, who has a long-standing family connection to it. Sherrington Blue has a grey-blue rind and smells sweetly of mushrooms and wet straw. Inside, the cheese is cream with green-blue veins. The texture and taste vary with the season, from quite delicate to pungent and earthy. This cheese compliments a variety of foods, including game meats, leeks, mushrooms, pears and cherries. Traditionally served as a finale to an evening meal, with port or any sweet, full-flavoured dessert wine.

This hard cheese got its name from the grassy, fragrant taste, with a suggestion of salt spray, which is reminiscent of D’Urville Island, in the Marlborough Sounds. It has a bright, buttercup gold rind, wrapped in natural beeswax, with the occasional smattering of white or orange mould and a straw yellow interior. The texture is firm, becoming hard and granular with age, with occasional holes indicating that this cheese has been hand-pressed. D’Urville Island hits with a complex mouthful of savoury, grassy aromas and a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. It is good for grating over hearty vegetable soups or sprinkled over home-made pizza. Perfect with the green, herbaceous top notes of a pinot gris or with bubbles.

Each of these cheeses has been dipped in a 10 year old, oak-aged, local brandy and then wrapped in sweet chestnut leaves, collected from the tree by the dairy door. The leaves change from green to brown with the seasons and keep the curd moist and creamy beneath. The interaction of the raisin character of the brandy and the tannins leaching from the leaves, gives the cheese the unique fragrance of the forest floor. Ideally served on its own or with bread and a large glass of red wine.

We produce 5 - 8 cheeses, depending on the time of year, including a range of goat's milk cheese. Contact us to find out what is season or especially good at the moment.