SEE ALSO: Nutrition facts for popular world cheeses in The Cheese Scientist’s index →

Nutrition Facts Summary for Mersey Valley Classic

Due to its high fat and low carbohydrate contents, Mersey Valley Classic is a great cheese for people following a ketogenic diet. Moreover, like other pressed uncooked cheeses, Mersey Valley Classic has low to no detectable levels of lactose. As a result, even the most sensitive lactose intolerant cheese lovers tend to be able to digest this American cheese comfortably.

All versions of this Cheddar are made with pasteurised cow’s milk. This fact, combined with its low moisture content and lack of rind, make this Mersey Valley Classic safe to eat during pregnancy. Indeed, if you’re pregnant, you can eat this cheese fresh or cook a delicious meal with it.

As is the case with most cheeses, Mersey Valley Classic is also an exceptional source of calcium. As such, it is recommended for people who are at high risk of osteoporosis. However, it is quite high in sodium and should be avoided by people who are at high risk of cardiovascular conditions.

References

Overall nutritional content

The nutritional content of cheese in our table comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository, the Australian Food Composition Database and cheese manufacturers. We realise that there can be variations between different brands and producers. Hence, the numbers we have used are averages. 

Fat content

Our fat RDI data comes from Cleveland Clinic’s Healthy Fat Intake resource.  

Type of fat in cheese as per Harvard T.H. Chan’s The Nutrition Source.  

Protein content

Our protein RDI data comes from Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publishing. 

Cholesterol content

Is There a Correlation between Dietary and Blood Cholesterol? Evidence from Epidemiological Data and Clinical Interventions? – Maria Luz Fernandez and Ana Gabriela Murillo 

Saturated fat, carbohydrate, and cardiovascular disease – Patty W Siri-Tarino, Qi Sun, Frank B Hu and Ronald M Krauss  

Effect of cheese consumption on blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials – Janette de Goede, Johanna M Geleijnse, Eric L Ding, Sabita S Soedamah-Muthu 

Safety in pregnancy

All the advice relating to what cheeses you can eat during pregnancy in this article is based on the recommendations by health authorities in Australia, the UK and the USA. If you are unsure about what you can or cannot eat, please consult your doctor. 

Australia – FSANZ, United Kingdom – NHS and United Sates of America – FDA 

Lactose content

Lactose residual content in PDO cheeses 

Detection of lactose in products with low lactose content 

The analysis of lactose in milk and cheese products by HPLC 

Food Standards ANZ Food Composition Database 

USDA Food Data Central 

Lactose & Galactose content of cheese 

Jonah Kincaid

Cheese lover. Scientist. Created a website and a Youtube channel about cheese science because he could not find answers to his questions online. 

cheesescientist.com

The post Mersey Valley Classic Nutrition Facts (Is It Bad For You?) appeared first on Cheese Scientist.

SEE ALSO: The many reasons why raw milk cheese is so important →

Prom Country Cheese

Nestled amongst the rolling hills in South Gippsland’s lush Moyarra Valley, lies the Brandon family farm. The farm is home to a small herd of 150 grass-fed sheep which are cared for and milked by Bronwyn and Burke Brandon. 

And, on their farm, the couple also make some of Australia’s (and the world’s) best artisanal sheep’s milk cheeses. One such cheese is their signature blue cheese Venus Blue, which is where our story begins. 

Isolating cultures from Venus Blue

For a number of years, the Brandon’s had been exploring ways to craft cheeses that truly express the terroir of their South Gippsland farm. There were determined to celebrate the unique biology of their environment and encapsulate in time the changes in their milk between seasons. 

Their journey began with a collaboration with industry partners to isolate cheesemaking cultures from their raw milk in a laboratory. Without a doubt, their use of those culture contributed to the success of their Venus Blue. While they were running trials with those cultures, they also experimented with batches of raw milk cheese with were actually commercially prohibited at the time. 

A change in regulations

After years of lobbying from a small number of artisanal cheesemakers, FSANZ finally introduced new food safety regulations to allow the production of raw milk cheeses in Australia. However, they insisted on very strict guidelines that would be enforced ruthlessly.

After two years of product development and changes in their food safety plans and procedures, Prom Country Cheese were finally granted approval in March 2020 to produce a raw milk cheese. This raw milk cheese, which would later be known as Moyarra Reserve, would have to meet a very detailed brief. Furthermore, the farm’s milk would have to pass very strict hygiene testing and would have to come from healthy udders. 

The birth of Moyarra Reserve

Hence was born Moyarra Reserve, a semi-hard pressed cheese with a natural smear rind. When making Moyarra Reserve, Burke does not cook the milk or the curds at any stage of the production. Instead, he adds a pre-ripened mother culture right back to the milk at the dairy, as the raw milk flows from the udders into the vat. 

Consequently, the culture inoculates the milk with good bacteria which is the first thing to grow. Moreover, the team have to maintain the highest level of hygiene at the dairy. Indeed, they have to sanitise all the production equipment, and the ewes’ teats before milking. 

How the milk is handled

The food safety body dictates that the raw milk has to be processed within 24 hours of milking. Because of this, Burke adds morning milk to the previous evening’s milk and transfers it back to the cheesemaking vat immediately to be warmed back to body temperature. 

During curd formation, the milk has to meet specific pH parameters at every stage. Afterwards, Burke washes the stirred curds with warm water to control its acidity and create a silky, play-dough type texture. Finally, he allows the curds to rest at the bottom of the vat in a large block. 

After resting, the curd is cut and shaped into baskets to be pressed. This process gradually expels excess whey (liquid) and each wheel has to meet a maximum moisture percentage limit over the next 3 days. During that time, Burke regularly hand salts them with sea salt. 

The maturation process

After salting the young cheese, Burke tests the wheels for its physical properties. If the cheese can achieve the appropriate parameters of moisture, salt, natural lactic acid, temperature and age, it will deactivate any potentially harmful pathogens. Because of this, each wheel of Moyarra Reserve is matured at 12°C for over 5 months.  

Finally, at 5 months, Burke puts each wheel through a final round of extensive lab testing to guarantee that it is safe to eat. Overall, this process is very labour intensive and expensive, compared to pasteurised cheese. As a result, the cost of production, and retail price, is higher. 

What does Moyarra Reserve taste like?

Having said that, Burke firmly believes that the end result worth all the effort. And, we strongly agree with him. Indeed, Moyarra Reserve is unlike any other cheese, made in Australia or elsewhere. 

The cheese has a firm texture with the rare internal split. Its initial aroma and flavour are very vibrant, like the farm’s summer hay. As the flavour develops in your mouth, you can detect middle notes of milk and caramel. And its rind is beautifully earthy. 

Why farmhouse cheesemaking suits raw milk cheese

Being farmhouse cheesemakers, the Brandons are in direct control of the entire process, from milking to maturation. 

“Immersing ourselves into every aspect of the soil, pastures, sheep, milk and ripening environment is immensely satisfying.” 

Another example of a farm achieving excellent results with their raw milk cheeses is Pecora Dairy in New South Wales’s Southern Highlands. Indeed, Pecora Dairy was the first manufacturer in Australia to make raw milk cheese in this way. Some other producers, such as Bruny Island Cheese in Tasmania, make hard cheeses where the curds are cooked at high temperatures.  

Changing the Australian artisanal cheese landscape

We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about Burke and Bronwyn Brandon’s journey to make Victoria’s first raw milk cheese. This is definitely an exciting time for the local artisanal cheese industry and we can’t wait to see what other cheesemakers will come up with. 

Now, tell me. What’s your favourite raw milk cheese?

Jonah Kincaid

Cheese lover. Scientist. Created a website and a Youtube channel about cheese science because he could not find answers to his questions online. 

cheesescientist.com

The post Victoria’s First Raw Milk Cheese  appeared first on Cheese Scientist.

SEE ALSO: What makes blue cheese look, smell and taste the way it does →

1. Milawa Aged Blue

Let’s start our journey in our home state, Victoria. And our first blue cheese on this list is, in many ways, the one that started it all.

In 1988, David & Anne Brown founded Milawa Cheese and started making a Gorgonzola blue cheese aptly named Milawa Blue. Moreover, they would hand-select a small number of wheels for further maturation to make their Aged Blue.

While the original cheese is inspired by an Italian recipe, the end product smells and tastes of the Victorian High Country. To top it all off, this is a great gateway cheese for people who are hesitant to try blue cheese. This spectacularly complex blue is savoury and sweet, with lingering notes of caramel and chocolate.

2. Venus Blue

We continue our exploration of Victoria in the South Gippsland region. Here, we find our favourite farmhouse Victorian blue cheese, Venus Blue.

Meticulously made by Burke Brandon (Prom Country Cheese) on their family’s sheep farm in Moyarra, this blue cheese is a celebration of the local terroir. As a matter of fact, they use the natural cultures from the raw milk of their own ewes to make this moderate strength blue cheese.

And what an outstanding cheese it is! It smells of a South Gippsland barnyard and fresh grass. Despite its robust aroma, this blue cheese has a mild and savoury flavour with a very soft finish.

3. Riverine Blue

We stay in Gippsland for our third blue cheese. Based in Fish Creek, Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese might just be Australia’s premier crafter of blue cheeses.

Berrys Creek Cheese was established in 2007 by Barry Charlton and his partner Cheryl. At their state-of-the-art cheesemaking facility, they hand make some of Australia’s best artisanal blue cheeses using buffalo’s and cow’s milk.

And, in our humble opinion, the buffalo milk Riverine Blue is the pick of the bunch. This is a blue cheese that will delight avid blue cheese fans and hesitant novices alike. Despite its aggressive blue-green striations, it still has a delicate savoury flavour with a lingering lactic sweetness.

4. Bluestone

Our final cheese from Victoria is also the most recent addition to the state’s offering. Victorians are so lucky to have a talented cheesemaker like Ivan Larcher in our midst. Based in Castlemaine, Ivan and his wife Julie (Long Paddock Cheese) handmake exciting and ground breaking artisanal cheeses using local milk. Without a doubt, Bluestone is one such cheese.

Drawing its inspiration for the raw milk AOP cheese, Fourme de Montbrison, Bluestone has a gorgeous rugged natural rind with a spattering of blue, grey and orange moulds. 

Furthermore, its texture is ever so slightly crumbly and, yet, melt-in-your-mouth creamy. Bluestone’s aroma is moderate to strong with a definite wild and blue quality. And the flavour! Wow! It is incredibly complex, savoury, sweet and spicy.

5. Sapphire Blue

Our fifth blue cheese takes us to the island of Tasmania. Indeed, Sapphire Blue is Grandvewe Cheeses’s signature cheese. This stunning blue cheese is made with pasteurised sheep’s milk from their own herd of Awassi ewes.

At 4 months, Sapphire Blue has an orange-tinged thin natural rind. Internally, its off-white pâte is moist but dense with a gorgeous splattering of blue-green veins, imparted by Penicillium roqueforti. Unsurprisingly, Sapphire Blue is often compared to Roquefort due to its rich texture and spicy flavour profile.

6. Jamberoo Blue

The final blue cheese on our list comes from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Pecora Dairy is a trail-blazing farmhouse cheesemaker that is leading the way in raw milk cheese production.

Michael and Cressida Cains founded Pecora Dairy in 2011 on 200 acres in Robertson, located in the green heart of the Southern Highlands, 100 miles south of Sydney. Their overarching philosophy is one of gentleness: towards the land, their sheep and in the production of their award winning cheeses.

Taking its name from the Aboriginal word for track, Jamberoo Blue is a mild yet complex blue cheese. As it ages, its flavour changes from yeast and mushroom to spicy and sweet.

What’s your favourite Australian blue cheese?

So, there you have our 6 best Australian blue cheeses. You might have noticed that half of them are made with sheep’s milk. Did you know that Australia is home to more sheep than humans?

On a more serious note though, the rich and sweet qualities in good sheep’s milk make it very suitable for making blue cheeses. Now, fellow Australian cheese lovers, what’s your favourite Aussie blue cheese? For all of our readers from around the world, have we convinced you to come visit us in Australia? Drop me a comment below.

Jonah Kincaid

Cheese lover. Scientist. Created a website and a Youtube channel about cheese science because he could not find answers to his questions online. 

cheesescientist.com

The post 6 Best Australian Blue Cheeses (You Absolutely Need To Try) appeared first on Cheese Scientist.