#21: Iain & Kate Field, Tongola Cheese (Southern Tasmania)

From humble beginnings in the 70’s with a small her of just 12 milking cows, Bream Creek Dairy has gone from strength to strength. Being one of the only remaining dairies in the area, the Bignell family now has a herd of 800 strong Holstein Friesian cows. But as with all farming, it has it’s challenges and the need to diversify the family business led them to cheese making and we could not be more impressed with what they are producing and I’m sure I can say the same of those who have enjoyed some the recent cheese boxes. We had the opportunity to sit down with Jack Bignell and James Green to discuss the evolution of Bream Creek Dairy and what makes that part of Tassie so special. I’m not sure about you but by the end of this conversation I was looking at flights to Tasmania. It really is a special place. So let's get into it!

14 Juni 202127min

Today, we’d like to introduce to you a little sub-series from the usual cheesemaker interviews. They’re the LIVE conversations we have with the cheese movers and makers at our MOULD Cheese Festivals which have returned in 2021 after a year hiatus thanks to you know what. These LIVE edition podcasts will be marked as exactly that, LIVE so you know what to look for when scrolling through previous episodes. They're raw, uncut and we hope give you a sense of the energy and enthusiasms of the festivals themselves. To kick things off, we’re chatting with Nicole Gilliver from Grandvewe Cheese in Tasmania. We love sitting down with Nicole as you’d be hard pressed to find a more thoughtful, articulate and radically candid person. So get ready to enjoy a real, frank and honest conversation around the creative side of things, and the challenges that lay at the core of Grandvewe. We talk about the importance of innovative thinking on not just the farm, but the cheese and also the spiritual side of things. And by that we mean how a small family cheese business made the world's best vodka. So, let's get into it …

30 Maj 202125min

A microbiologist and food technologist walk into a cheese shop .. may sound like the start of fairly intellectual joke but this did happen and some years later Goldfields was established and Nadia Baxter and Andrew Keene have never looked back. My name is Dan Sims and on today’s podcast we chat about all things microbiology and how the environment, from what the cows eat to how much it rains, totally changes the cheese from batch to batch. Plus the pains and gains of running a small business. Nadia and Andrew work tirelessly with 2 young kids in tow to create cheese that aims to balance art and science … and we’re so grateful for Nardia for taking the time to speak to us.

9 Maj 202129min

Welcome back to the Mould cheese Podcast where we talk to the makers, growers, farmers and families who just happen to make the best cheese in Australia. We are back again this year to continue the conversation with the Brie-liant people in our growing collective orbit.. Expect to hear stories from more cheese producers, a mini series on drinks matching with the some of the industry’s best before getting to the nitty gritty of how cheese is made and also chatting with independent cheesemongers that champion Australia's best. It's going to be a Gouda year! So, to today’s episode ... It begins with a house cow and a milk moment. Here I chat with Julie from Robe Dairy about heirloom cultures, the beauty of good milk and the small town of Robe they call home. The journey started after a taste of real quality jersey milk in Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. It was that moment that Julie discovered the potential her house cow, affectionately called Rosie had to produce some amazing cheese. But this wasn’t aiming for perfection but rather personality, and caring for a small herd of just 20 cows. Then, thanks to the unique cultures they use, Robe Dairy cheese is packed with bundles of personality. This was actually recorded last year so forgive us for the delay in getting this live!

2 Maj 202126min

Welcome to the final chat of our month long series talking to the makers, growers fathers and families who just happen to make the best RAW milk cheese in Australia. Todays podcast is the recording from the live Instagram chat I had with Kym Masters from Section 28 Cheese, in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Talking with Kym, and tasting the cheese, it’s incredible to imagine that Section 28 is just over 5 years old. The qualities impact they’ve had has been swift to say the least. Here we discuss not only his cheese, but his RAW milk influence, and how and what RAW milk cheese may be in the future in Australia. Yes, there are indeed some ‘curd nerd’ moments, but it's well worth it. This was a brilliant conversation to round out the month and whilst we know we only scraped the surface, we hope this has helped you better understand where RAW milk cheese is in Australia and how you, can play your part in this movement as well.

29 Okt 202046min

If we’re talking RAW milk cheese in Australia, it would be remise, if not near impossible, to not talk about Will Studd. Will’s impact on the cheese world in Australia is significant if not profound. Establishing Calendar Cheese company in 1995, the impact this had on Australian cheese is quite phenomenal. Hand on heart I can say my cheese education in my hospitality days, in particular at Punch Lane Wine Bar, was due to Calendar Cheese. He’s written two books and produced an incredible 68 odd episode global TV series on cheese which I’m sure you all know, Cheese Slices. Add to that, there was the ‘Roquefort’ incident, and a court challenge all about advocating RAW milk cheese in Australia. Will is joined by another person who probably needs no introduction, Nick Haddow of Bruny Island Cheese. Aside from making incredible cheese, it was Nick who made the first commercial available RAW milk cheese in Australia some 12 years a go. He’s also a writer, presenter and when it comes to cheese communication, it would be hard find any one better. Nick and Will have known each other for a long time and have many shared journeys and experiences. Which is we're handing the reins over to him tonight to interview Will on all things RAW milk cheese so we can get into the nitty gritty of what it is, isn’t, where it is in Australia today and what it could hold in the future.

28 Okt 20201h 4min

Welcome to another episode as part of our Instagram LIVE chats as we speak to the makers growers farmers and families who just happen to make the best RAW milk cheese, in Australia. Today, I chat with the incredible Cressida and Michael Cains from Pecora Dairy in Robertson, in the stunning Southern highlands of New South Wales. As for what you’re about to hear, I don’t think I can summarise it better that what Cressida so eloquently articulated. So I won’t. But I will say, this is one awesome conversation and we could have quite literally chatted for hours not only about what RAW Milk is, isn’t but what could and should be and how we need to continue to have these kinds of conversations. What Pecora have done for RAW milk cheese in Australia can’t be underestimated. It’s their advocacy and close relationship with regulatory bodies that have helped paved the way to RAW milk production here in Australia. I for one, am very grateful and I’m sure you are too. So, let’s get into it. ----- Follow Pecora on the socials at @pecoradairy

26 Okt 202049min