#36 - Mainland Noble Tasty Cheddar

Ok, I have to declare a personal bias for this cheese, as I was one of the technologists involved in developing it when I worked at the Fonterra Research Centre.  But it really is a good cheese - even with my independent hat on, given I no longer work for Fonterra.  It is good to see that all the hard work put in over the years by many researchers has been launched onto the market.

The key thing about Noble Tasty Cheddar is that it has 30% less fat than standard Cheddar cheese - but it still tastes great (if not better than any other supermarket cheeses out there).  Many reduced fat cheeses can be lacking in flavour, and in particular reduced fat cheddars are often rubbery or bitter. Using a combination of well controlled manufacturing conditions, a selection of cultures, and some care, it is possible to actually make this cheese that develops a great flavour and texture as it matures.
The Noble Cheddar in the supermarkets at the moment appears to be at the younger end of the scale, so it has a young cheddary texture, but it has a good amount of flavour with some extra savoury notes not seen in standard Tasty.  From my experience, I know that the flavour of this cheese ages well - as it matures it will develop some strong savoury and slightly fruity notes.  I would expect a good piece of this Noble Cheddar at 12 months old to have stronger and more interesting flavours than a regular Tasty.

As the Noble Cheddar ages, it will develop small crystals both inside the block and on the cut surfaces.  These are a a mix of minerals and amino acids formed as a result of the aging processes going on in the cheese itself, and are perfectly normal.  Some people wait until the cheese is riddled with crystals before they even eat it as they know the flavour will be super strong.  However on the flip side, if you prefer a milder cheese, pick a younger one with less crystals.

A testimony to this cheese is that during its development, it won a gold medal at the 2011 International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, England.

OK, so it's not a gourmet artisan cheese, and I have a personal bias for it, but as far as commercial cheeses from big suppliers go, this is a very good cheese, even before you consider it is 30% reduced in fat!

# 35 - Karikaas Vintage Leydon (cumin seed gouda)

New Zealand has fantastic Gouda cheeses, made by Dutch families who have immigrated over the last few generations and kept up the traditional cheese making methods.  One could even argue that the best Dutch cheeses are found in New Zealand!

On my way North from Christchurch to Nelson, I took a small detour inland through Rangiora to stop in at the Karikaas factory and shop at Loburn.  Karikaas was started in 1984 by Dutch immigrants Karin and Rients Rypma, and makes Dutch-style cheeses and fresh European style dairy products.  Since the late 1980s, the milk they use has been sourced from a single local farm.

One of the cheeses Karikaas is best known for is their Vintage Leydon - a traditional Gouda with cumin seeds added.  The balance between the cumin flavour and the cheese itself changes as the cheese ages.  The younger cheeses are delicious but perhaps the cumin seems stronger compared to the cheese flavour.  By the time the cheese has aged for a couple of years, I think it reaches the best balance between the rich, savoury flavours of the cheese and the cumin seeds.

So I bought a piece of Vintage Leydon - cut from the wheel - to take on my trip North.  I found a nice calm spot for lunch on the beach at Rabbit Island, near Nelson.  The piece of cheese I had was delicious - it would have been a good vintage Gouda in its own right - slightly sweet, firm but not crumbly, savoury with a slight nuttiness, and clean acid dryness when first put in the mouth.  But the cumin adds an extra dimension - it was not dominant but balanced perfectly with the other flavours of the mature cheese.  This would not have been the case with a 'base' cheese of lesser quality.  This went well with the Danish Salami in my 'road trip wrap' - although next time I'll opt for a salami with less garlic so I can taste the other cheese!

South Island cheese tour

I am just coming to the end of a week long cheese tour of the upper part of the South Island. I have driven myself over 1400 km from Kaikoura down to Christchurch, Rangiora, and up to Nelson, during which I have visited cheese shops, artisan cheese makers and markets.  I have met so many cool, friendly, open and passionate people and I am looking forward to writing posts about my trip.  So keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks and months for some great Kiwi cheeses and brands you may not have heard of.