Hooping curds, rising before dawn to watch milk solidify or travelling to Piedmont for a cheese festival. The life of a cheesemaker is a labour of love thats as rewarding as it is challenging.
Next year I will be celebrating my 20th year as a cheesemaker. In the mid ’90s, I was working as a corporate consultant, and if you had told me at the time that for the next two decades I would be waking up at dawn each day, driving to the Adelaide Hills, donning my whites and hairnet and watching milk solidify, I’d have laughed out loud.
“Why would I want to do that?” I’d have scoffed. “I don’t know anything about cheese,” might have been the next thing, or “I like eating it but I could never make it.”
But when an opportunity came up at Woodside Cheese Wrights, I went with my gut. Ever since I was a little Greek girl in pigtails, my grandmother cultivated in me a respect and appreciation for good, homemade food. Maybe that was what possessed me to start this journey. Or perhaps I just needed something different.
But the road was no Milky Way. Early mornings, milk shortages, isolation (not only in the factory but in the industry, too), a lack of information or education – all of these things presented serious challenges. The internet was in its infancy then and there was only one textbook I could find, which outlined how to make industrialised cheese – not the specialty handmade cheese I was interested in.
Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
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Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From personal experience
Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.
Kimberley Moulton
Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.
Tom Wallace
We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.
Best in class
The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)
A taste of refuge
Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.
BE OUR GUEST
Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation
Barcelona BUZZ
A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.
HEATHCOTE BOUND
MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.
The art of...relishing restaurants
Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner
HEART AND SOUL
Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.