artisinal  &  farmhouse  cheese
Mt Emu Creek Dairy Sheep Milk Cheese
 
Mt Emu Creek Cloth Matured
 

 RECIPE IDEAS:

Recipies

 
Sinfully Australian Home

 
 


Sheep milk is healthy, having 90% more calcium and 70% more protein than cows milk cheese. In addition, it has low allergenic properties, is easily digestible and is higher than cows milk in most vitamins and minerals, including B-group vitamins. Milder than goat milk cheese, it ages well due to its proteins being less volatile than goat milk.

And, better yet, it tastes great. Mt Emu Creek cheese is 100% pure sheep milk, and are hand made using traditional methods in Camperdown, western Victoria.

Sheep milk cheese has a beautiful white body due to the ability of sheep to convert beta carotene into vitamin A (cows are unable to do this, resulting in the yellow creamy color of cow milk cheese).

All of Mt Emu Creek's cheeses are superb. Mt. Emu Creek Romney Fresca is a semi-soft cheese made according to a traditional Spanish shepherd recipe. Named after the breed of sheep used for their milk, it has delicate sweet and soft finish. Mt Emu Creek Romney Fresca works really well in risotto. 

Mt Emu Creek Yuulong Lavender cheese is a semi soft sheep milk cheese infused with a special flowering culinary lavender that is camphor free and grown on an adjacent farm. The lavender adds a delicate dimension that makes this cheese one of our favorites. Mt Emu Creek Smoked Romney is naturally smoked by using fresh elm twigs. This creates a distinctive flavor that is still complex and maintaining the semi-soft texture of the cheese.

Mt. Emu Creek Cloth Matured is a traditional cloth bound semi-pressed ewe's milk cheese that has been matured a minimum of 9 months. The surface can develop unusually bright colored yeasts and moulds, and when cut, reveals a pale ivory semi-soft textured cheese that is complex and distinct. 

Matured a minimum of 12 months, Mt. Emu Creek Mount Elephant (try saying that a few times!) is a beautiful pecorino style cheese that develops a complex sweet, nutty flavor. As it matures, it is turned regularly and rubbed with pure olive oil to maintain the smooth clean rind and add complexity to the cheese. 

In addition to the matured cheeses, Mt. Emu Creek also makes a wonderful Pure Sheep Ricotta and Pure Sheep Yogurt.  The Yogurt is available in both plain and delicately honey sweetened flavor. 

 


Many people ask us about getting milk from sheep. The Manifold family, who own Mt. Emu Creek, came to the area in 1839, and grazed Romney sheep; a breed originally brought to Australia for their meat and wool, but not for their milk. The family later introduced Friesland sheep, a Dutch milking breed to the herd, and the current flock consists of about two thirds Romney and one third Friesland. 

By using selective breeding, they have built the herd to a point where each sheep averages approximately 0.7 liters (.19 gallons) of milk a day. Although this is not much milk, sheep milk has significantly higher milk solids, and so yields about 1kg (2.2lb) of cheese from 4 liters (1.1 gallons) of milk. This compares with cows milk, which requires 10 liters (2.64 gallons) of milk to yield 1kg (2.2lb) of cheese. 

The dairy's flock consists of roughly 2,000 sheep, of which about 500 are being milked twice a day for approximately 120 days in the year. Careful management and husbandry ensures a consistent quality and volume.