About half a year ago I started making my own cheese. Having tasted so many delicious cheeses in Europe, I was surprised to see that the quality and variety of cheeses in New Zealand are a bit disappointing. Even more when you realise there are approximately 10 million cows and about 40 million sheep in New Zealand. Once a Dutchie always I Dutchie I guess, and that's why I started to look a bit cheesy...
After thorough investigation, I found a milk supplier, cultures and rennet. If you live in New Zealand the Bin Inn shops and home brew suppliers have a decent amount of cultures, starter kits and molds for sale. If you live in Europe, think twice of going through all the effort because the cheese is unbelievably cheap with a good level of quality.
One of the benefits when making your own cheese is you know exactly what's in the cheese. There are no artificial flavours or colors. I use raw milk and choose not to pasteurize it, simply because of the fact that it will enhance the development of the flavours. You get a little bit of the taste of France or Italy back for not heating the milk. Of course this is personal preference!
The availability of milk depends on the seasons. I use cow's milk and goat milk for my cheeses.
The easiest cheese to start with are soft cheeses. Molded cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert and Gorgonzola are not that difficult to make, however storage is very important with this type of cheese. When making hard cheeses, such as Gouda, Edam or Parmesan cheese you need a lot more equipment like a cheese press and wax.
Some homemade Camembert with garlic from our veggie garden.
