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."