There has been a lot of interest in our 'wedding present goats' Mac & Bowy and whilst its not as one might have hoped or originally planned its not all bad.......

As every conversation I attempted to raise regarding the idea of moving to the country and starting a cheese making venture failed with my new husband, I soon realised that for the marriage itself to work, I was going to need to curb my cheese and farming enthusiasm and focus a little more on my husband than the goats and cheese.

The dream of becoming cheese makers was reluctantly put to the side for another time in our life.

And 'focus' I did as we now have two kids of another kind, Clementine & Scout who are almost as cute as Mac & Bowy ;)

The image on the left is of champion breeder and original owner Debra Campbell who has now retired as a Goat breeder, show Champion and farmer. We were forced to make a decision as to the fate of the goats as she was considering selling off her entire herd to various interested cheese makers.

Again i raised the idea with my husband of relocating to the country and taking up the challenge of becoming cheese makers in isolation... what an opportunity! and again it was met with a degree of negativity.

So Mac & Bowy were relocated in their herd of magnificent Anglo Nubians to Karen and David Borg's country property located in the foothills of the Hawkesbury Valley, to compliment their existing herd of milkers.

Their cheese company 'Willowbrae Cheese' produces a range of award winning artisan goat milk cheeses that are sold at Farmers Markets around Sydney. Some of you may be familiar with her husband David Borg from the Fox Studios Farmers Markets. Karen is so busy making the cheese and tending to her goats that she doesnt get to that market herself.

We are thrilled to announce that we have secured Karen Borg of Willowbrae Cheese Company to guest present alongside us at our next workshops Saturday 12th March 2011.

We adore Karen and all that she produces and cant wait to share her story and skills with our cheese making participants. Excitingly, the Milk used in the workshop will be provided by her herd of 60 strong goats... and that means Mac and Bowy's as I believe they have been put to kid and now are officially milking nannies.

A huge thank you to all the participants of our first Beer & Cheese event with The Beer Diva at The Australian Hotel, The Rocks! She is super impressive.

It was a really enjoyable experience for me and i cant believe this BEER DIVA/ CHEESE GIRL union has taken so long to be established! Of the many many things I learnt last night like how to pour a beer correctly, I also learnt that drinking from a bottle not only seriously limits your tasting experience but that Beer is much less bloating if you pour it into a glass rather than sucking in all that extra CO2 via that beer bottle!

Great selection of Australian Boutique brews and a mix of International and local cheeses + great bunch of participants= really great experience for us hosts!

Postcards from Katrina Durham

Hello fellow cheese lovers,

My journey continues and what fun it is. Last night was the night!!!

My first attempt at making cheese, I pasturised the milk and added the starter to make Quark.

The pot has been wrapped up all night in a warm spot like a little baby and this morning it starting to solidify and I assume take shape. It smells pretty good and has the consistency of yoghurt at the moment.

I have discovered that I have a soft spot (pardon the pun) for goats cheese………..so I am on the hunt for some goats to milk!! I have discovered a hard goats cheese called Blue Moon, it is sensational!
Hope you are well Claudia regards

Katrina Durham

Katrina Durham discovers the world of cheese

Hi Claudia, Here is my attempt at blogging my journey!

"Last weekend I did a cheese appreciation course at the Pickle Pantry in Cootamundra with Claudia. Here energy is quite infectious and it has started my journey to learn more about cheese – its heritage, the science and how to make!

I phoned mum & dad and said to them that "I am going to make cheese" – they have been very supportive and mum found an article in the latest Country Style about a young woman changing careers from winemaking to cheese making!

I have working in the agricultural industry for the past 18 years and am very passionate about primary industries and the crucial role they play in feeding the world, social interaction and pure enjoyment! So thus far I have booked in to do a course with Barry Lillywhite at CSU – very excited! I have been to a dairy and learnt about milk production and quality issues and got some milk and received a cheese making kit to start my very exciting journey.

At the end of the year I hope to spend a week with a cheese maker in Albany and learn from other people."

regards
Katrina Durham

Introducing to you.....Katrina Durham; cheese lover and resident blogger

It is my pleasure to introduce to all our Mcintosh & Bowman Blogg space readers, a most inspiring and refreshing cheese contact; Katrina Durham.

I met Katrina on a cheese weekend in Cootamundra. It is most exciting to see her progressing with her passion for cheese and hunting down as many cheese related experiences as possible. I have asked her to document her personal story and adventures in the cheese world for us all to enjoy. So happy reading......... (and remember, if you too have a story {cheese related} you would like to share, please forward us an email!)

May the force be with you Katrina!!

CHEESE! Slow Food's biennial event in Bra, Piedmont- Italy

In the words of Carlo Petrini; "The seventh edition of the event that brings together artisan cheesemakers and cheese lovers from around the world.The biennial event Cheese, organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, is back for its seventh edition this year, being held over September 18-21, 2009 in Bra, in the northwestern region of Piedmont, Italy. The festival has become an international reference point for dairy artisans and cheese enthusiasts from around the world, with its presentation and exploration of the incredible diversity of cheese, through workshops, debates, tastings, educational activities and markets. Over its 12-year history, Cheese has changed consumers’ perception of the world of cheese, highlighting the diversity of artisan production and its fragility next to industrial producers. Since its first edition in 1997, Cheese has been restoring raw milk’s reputation, confirming its important role in the relationship between a product and the local territory and sensory quality of cheeses. This year, Cheese is focusing in particular on the issue of enzymes added during cheesemaking. As milk is today subjected to strict food-safety regulations, it is low in native bacterial flora and standardized laboratory-made artificial enzymes are used. This practice represents one of the most widespread and little-known standardizations of taste, leading to a progressive flattening of sensory qualities. Cheese promotes the production of milk or whey starter cultures directly in the dairy, preserving the local microflora and so also each cheese’s original characteristics."

Terra Madre & Salone Del Gusto Italy Trip

We are back just last week from a whirl wind trip to Italy having been selected by the Slow Food Organisational Committee, to attend Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy.

What a trip! And what a mammoth task that now lies ahead of me as I endeavour to continue practising, preaching and implementing the Slow Food principles that have been refreshed and nourished through this meet.

For those of you not familiar with Terra Madre ‘mother earth’ this Slow Food movement brings together those players in the food chain who together support sustainable agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity.

Slow Food and the Terra Madre family works to defend local cultures and products, in order to make real the Slow Food concept of Good, Clean, and Fair quality. Good refers to the quality of food products and of their taste; Clean, to a production process that respects the natural environment ; and Fair, in which there is dignity and appropriate economic return for the people who produce, including respect from those who consume.

Terra Madre offered me a unique opportunity to spend five days with small-scale food producers and farmers, cooks and academics from 150 countries, attend workshops and conferences held every two years in conjunction with the Salone del Gusto, the largest artisanal food fair in the world held from 23 - 27 October 2008; staged in Turin to utilise the massive sports complex built to host some of the events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

My personal highlights of the conference was the opening and closing ceremony of which we were addressed by Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini and other inspirational and notable food activists such as Vandana Shiva, Alice Waters, a bevy of Italian officials, as well as a pre-recorded video message from Prince Charles; a long time activist of the Slow Food Movement.

There is much that I have experienced and come to understand from my time in Italy at these two events to now pass on to my food community the ‘McIntosh & Bowman’ Food community.

I will endeavour to do so over the coming weeks to share the experience and the ideas and teaching I have gained.

Please share your thoughts on this topic and feel free to ask questions in the mean time.