A Brie With Flavour

Finding a brie with some flavour that is not some old sweaty French brie trumped up as a real cheese is hard to find. From the Southern Highlands of NSW comes Small Cow Farm 'Petite Vache Brie'. Subtle flavours, but with complexity and length, this brie does not rely on cream to do the work, reflecting precise milk quality and cheese maker skill. Just won a Gold Medal at the 2009 Sydney Royal Show.

Available at Canberra EPIC Markets and Sydney Pyrmont Markets
www.smallcowfarm.com

Presentation! Presentation! Presentation!

As with all Woodside Cheese, Figaro is immaculately presented, with a rafier bow holding together a washed rind goat cheese layered with grape leaves. Smooth and creamy with a slightly sour note that is not unexpected because of the vine leaves. This is a must for those wanting to show off with a cheese platter.

800g wheel.

Widely available in delis and specialty cheese sellers nationally.

http://www.woodsidecheese.com.au/figaro/

Judging Cheese

Nothing like starting your initial blog with the most controversial of subjects - food judging. For this blog I am going for the simple 1 to 5 rating, but for those with a leaning towards technicalities, this is my rating table and it is very loosely based on the old cheddar cheese grading scale and still used in some dairy shows ;

To get a one cheese rating there is something drastically wrong and it is not in my personality type to embarrass anyone in public so you are not likely to ever see this rating. (Score: Less than 85 points - not edible)

A cheese that is very simple and made badly, likely to have a number of technical faults and made by a beginner, so keep your chin up and keep working at it. (Score: 87-90 points)

A cheese that would be awarded a silver medal at a respected show. Nothing flashy but true to style. (Score: 90 - 92 points)

A mighty fine cheese, likely to win a gold medal. Perfect maturity, true to style with distinct or unique flavours. (Score: 92 - 94 points)

Absolute excellence! Perfect maturity, complexity and length of flavour. This cheese would not only be something to write home about, you should head for the roof and start yelling very loudly right now. (Score:95+ points)