Chief
cheesemaker, Jane Bennett, learnt her craft in Somerset, England, and
uses those traditional methods to produce premium cheddars from
the milk produced on the family farm. But she has taken these skills to
a whole new level by incorporating unique flavors that reflect Australia's
own food heritage.
All
the cheese produced at Ashgrove is hand made
in open vats using traditional techniques.
Traditional "cheddaring" involves
turning and piling the slabs of drained curd every
5 minutes for an hour. Producing Cheddar cheese
this way is very hard work and requires a fit
and dedicated workforce
Inspired
by the high grade wasabi grown down the road, she spent several years perfecting
her Wild Wasabi Cheddar - a unique
blend of traditional English cheddar and traditional Japanese wasabi flavor.
A true fusion of east and west that works. This cheese has become a favorite
with both our team and our customers.
If
you don't think the Wasabi cheddar has enough heat to it, then highly recommended
is the Red Chili Cheddar - we guarantee
that you will feel the heat.
Jane
has continued the fusion theme with Bush Pepper
Cheddar. A blend of crushed
leaves and whole berries from the Tasmanian native pepper (the tree grows wild
in wilderness areas of Tasmania) are added to
a Lancashire cheese base, giving a wild spicy
flavor to the cheese. because of the Lancashire
base the cheese melts well, and is a wonderful
addition to soups, sauces and other dishes.
Not to say that it isn't excellent on its own
- it is!
Continuing the Australian theme, we also highly recommend
Outback
Red, a club cheddar that has been blended with Australian macadamia
nuts (yes, macadamia nuts are a native of Australia, not Hawaii) and native
bush tomatoes from the Australian outback. This cheese reflects the colors and
flavors of the Australian Outback.
In the Australian theme, also
recommended is the Tasmanian Hardwood Smoked Cheddar,
a rich nutty cheese that has been naturally smoked using native Tasmanian
hardwoods.
The
latest addition to the fusion theme is the Cumin
Seed Cheddar, which brings together traditional English cheese
and the traditional flavors of India.
On
the traditional side, Ashgrove also produces a Lavender
Cheddar (there are extensive lavender fields in the area), and
a lovely sharp Cloth Matured Cheddar.
All
Ashgrove cheeses are made by hand using non-animal rennet and are all natural.
Only milk from the family's own herd of fresians is used. |
