Cheese chronicles: Tales from the curdside

"You know what the best thing about driving 1.5 hours to Castlemaine to make cheese is?

Well, at 5 a.m., it’s the LAST thing you want to do. Especially when the car's temperature gauge shows a single-digit number. But after navigating the outskirts of the city and getting onto the freeway, you can almost smell the anticipation for the one and only stop: those magical, yellow arches that scream 'coffee break & hash brown' (though the hash brown can easily be replaced with a muffin, hot cross bun, or banana bread).

Now, I know it’s silly—writing a cheese blog and focusing solely on the first sip of coffee from a major fast-food chain. It's ironic because I must be the smallest cheesemaking business in Melbourne, one without even its own production space. But it's absolutely a major cog that keeps this wheel we call 'Curdsy' turning. The funny thing is, there's absolutely no other coffee stop from Melbourne to Castlemaine except this one. And only a true Melbournian can understand the necessity of a morning latte, whether the coffee beans have been roasted by a guy with a questionable mustache in Fitzroy who 'shook the hands of those who harvest the coffee beans,' or are simply described with the generic term '100% Arabica.'

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking, 'What is this woman even talking about?' Well, my friend, I’m here to tell you that making cheese is far more complicated than turning milk into a giant, white jelly. Temperature, time, the quality of milk, along with knowledge and practice, are just a few factors that can transform a Coles 'feta style' cheese into a barrel-ripened feta, where each barrel is filled with curd by hand and follows a very regulated process. Coffee is necessary, don’t you agree?

Now, don’t get me wrong: there is absolutely no harm in choosing either of those different kinds of feta. There is a market for everything, and I, myself, will never pretend I ONLY buy small. The same goes for my morning latte—it can be any type of bean, as long as it makes my brain sing with caffeine.

But! You are here, still reading this questionable blog post, which makes me think that when it comes to cheese, you like Curdsy. And believe me when I say I appreciate it. Because Curdsy falls into the same category as carefully selected coffee beans. It’s all made by hand, using Schulz’s organic milk, one of the best milks in my humble opinion, following a recipe that I’ve developed through (a lot) of trial and error.

As I head to Castlemaine in two days and sip on my '100% Arabica,' I will still be impressed by how milk, something so 'generic,' can be transformed into so many cheeses of different sizes, textures, tastes, and smells. Each one has a story to tell and is a representation of the land it came from.

Thanks for sticking with me through my cheesy ramblings. May your coffee always be hot and your cheese always delicious!

Until next time

Alex

*A fresh batch is coming this Friday 24th of May. Place your order here and I will be personally delivering your cheeses.