Congratulation to Deb and the team from ‘Cheeses Loves You’ for winning Silver and Bronze for two of your cheeses and not just Gold for the Kefir but it was Champion Dairy Dessert/yoghurt of Show… that’s right Best in Show at the Queensland Food and Wine Awards last weekend in Brisbane.
It doesn’t get any more ‘Paddock to Plate than hubbie and wife team Jim and Deb Allard, with Jim looking after and milking daily their herd of Jersey cows, whilst Deb works her magic by handcrafting the most delicious dairy products.
Deb says most dairy farmers choose Friesians because they produce a greater volume of milk, but the quality of Jersey milk is superior for making cheese. It’s higher in fat and protein, and full of healthy bacteria.
A cheesemaker for more than a decade, she is well known for her cheese-making classes and has travelled widely to learn her craft, spending time with expert cheese-makers from all over the world.
Deb says because her cheeses are small batch and additive-free, they vary in flavour throughout the year and are quite different from the stock standard cheeses sold at the supermarket. Mass produced cheeses usually contain some form of preservatives or additives to extend their shelf life, but the long use-by date often comes at at the expense of character and flavour.
“It really affects the quality of cheese,” she said.
Deb’s range includes cottage cheese, ricotta haloumi, feta, brie, camembert, blue and romano, as well as other dairy products like kefir, cultured butter and yoghurt.
You can find deb every 3 weeks #newbrightonfarmersmarket and weekly at #mullumfarmersmarket