Category Archives: Specialty Shopping

Specialty Shopping

All About Cheese: A Wine & Cheese Tasting on Fort Denison

fort denison cheese tasting

Mr NQN and I usually spend our weekends researching and eating food. Lots of it I should add. And sometimes, if we’re very lucky the weekend will involve getting out and seeing our fair city as well as foraging for food. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to combine the two.

Allow me to rewind. RedBalloon were kind enough to offer Mr NQN and I a spot in the McIntosh Bowman cheese and wine tasting workshops on picturesque Fort Denison. Within the space of two hours we would be taught all sorts of fascinating things about cheese and wine and be introduced or reacquainted with twelve of Australia’s best farmhouse cheeses.

fort denison cheese tasting

We meet at 11:45am by the sign and Claudia introduces herself. She is the McIntosh half of McIntosh & Bowman the cheesemongers  and a self confessed “curd nerd” who has travelled the world making cheese with some of the top names in the cheese world (and did you know that there is a Cheese Olympics in Lyon?). She explains that we will be catching the noon ferry over to Fort Denison where we will taste cheeses and wines against the historical setting of Fort Denison. The last time Mr NQN and I visited Fort Denison was for Mother’s Day and we had taken a peek inside the cheese tasting room after lunch.

fort denison cheese tasting

fort denison cheese tasting

The sun isn’t quite cooperating today and we take the very short 5 minute boat trip across the water past the Harbour Bridge on the left and the Opera House to the right. We arrive at Fort Denison to a glass of sparkling wine and there is at first a run down on Fort Denison etiquette by the National Parks person as the entire island is heritage listed and then it’s onto the canapes!

fort denison cheese tasting

Today’s canapes are had in the main grassy area at the top. To one side is the tower and to the other side is the lovely albeit rainy and windy harbour view. We start with some fresh Sydney rock oysters with lemon which are just the best way to orient yourself with the harbour.

fort denison cheese tasting

Our next canape is the beetroot cured salmon on crouton toasts which is utterly moreish. In fact if we weren’t about to go back in to start the tasting I might have asked for more!

fort denison cheese tasting

We make our way down to the tasting room. At each of our places is a plate of 12 cheeses-11 Australian and 1 Italian cheese. There are also two discs of “Pastilla Nash” which is a prune and walnut log which is handmade in Sydney and sells in 14 countries around the world. There are also freshly baked Infinity sourdough bread rolls in the centre of the table and four glasses of wine to have with the cheeses as well as a water and a glass for beer. All of the cheeses that we are tasting are top of the range with none less than $90 a kilo.

fort denison cheese tasting

We’re asked to introduce ourselves to everyone and name our favourite cheeses. Everyone’s answers vary from tasty to triple brie and I find it hard to narrow it down to just one cheese or even two so I mention the Holy Goat La Luna cheese and burrata which is my current obsession. And fortuitously a sister to the Holy Goat La Luna is on the menu today! All of the cheeses are classified as farmhouse cheese and in this case, it means that they’re made in small, artisinal batches. They are a mix of the four types of milk: cow, goat, sheep and buffalo. There are also large batch farmhouse cheeses like roquefort and parmesan but these are also made to strict standards and regulations but these weren’t part of this tasting.

And why Fort Denison as a setting? Well cattle of course are not indigenous to Australia and in 1788  when they were first brought over, there were five cows (apparently some pregnant) and two bulls. They were loaded onto the sandbank which is now known as Bennelong Point but was then called Cattle Point. The cattle were here in make shift enclosures where the Opera House now stands. They did get loose and ended up wandering away and were found as far away as Camden which was then called “cow pasture” because Claudia tells us “cows were found fat and happy, feeding on green pastures having multiplied to a herd of 40 in the time in which they had gone missing!”

fort denison cheese tasting

Claudia tells us that there are theories as to how cheese was originally discovered and one holds that a shepherd accidentally discovered cheese. Back in the day, every part of an animal was used including it’s stomach which was washed, dried and oiled and the shepherd may have used that to store some of his herd’s milk. The heat from the sun, the movement of the walking and the enzymes present in the stomach would have quite possbily given the first taste of cheese!

fort denison cheese tasting

There are essentially seven types of cheese: fresh (mozzarella, ricotta), bloomy (brie or camembert), washed (fire engine red), semi hard (Jarlsberg), hard pressed (reggiano), blue veined (gorgonzola) and processed (in this case one rolled in ash or fruit, they’re not going to serve us Kraft singles!).  Claudia suggests that we try the cheeses using our fingers for the full experience although a knife is given to us.

The four wines are a NZ Semillon Sauignon Blanc, a Mudgee Pinot Gris, a Langham Creek Moscato (which is very light and lightly sparkling) and a Margaret River Two Brothers Cabernet Merlot.

fort denison cheese tasting

The first three cheeses we are given are fresh cheeses and they are a Paesanella mozzarella made of buffalo milk which is made in Marrickville in Sydney. With each cheese she asks us to pick them up with our hands and smell them before tasting them.  Interestingly, she tells us that this cheese is made for melting and the best way to tell if a cheese is made for melting is if there is an oily residue that comes out from it once it is melted then it is not made for melting!

The second cheese the Meredith feta made with sheep’s milk from Meredith Valley in Victoria. It has that distinct lanoliney aroma to a sheep milk cheese and pairs nicely with the sauvignon blanc and moscato. Claudia tells us that in Greece, they eat the feta less salty than we do. When they export it over here they add extra salt to preserve it and that we should rinse our feta before consuming it. Overseas they remark that we seem to like our feta salty!

fort denison cheese tasting

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Haverick Meats, Banksmeadow & The Tomahawk Steak

haverick meats

I’m definitely someone that believes that things happen for a reason. Even from the most hideous events, a lesson can often be learned. In the case of the recent global turmoil, one trend that resounded with many was people saving money by shopping for things in bulk or at less expensive wholesalers which allowed them to enjoy the food that they had always liked, but at a better price.

haverick meats

haverick meats

Dry aged prime rib

Haverick Meats is one the largest food service distributors in Australia that sell over 20 tonnes of meat a day supplying meat to Bilson’s, Est, Sepia, Manly Pavilion, Assiette and Tetsuya’s. Started in 1962 as a butcher shop in Paddington it now supplies meat to restaurants, airlines, cruise line and entertainment venues-Qantas First Class passengers eat the meat from Haverick’s and they have the largest inventory of dry aged meat in Australia. Because of customer demand, they have now started selling to the public from their warehouse in Banksmeadow in an industrial estate. We arrive there one Saturday afternoon and see their trucks everywhere.

haverick meats

They are finding that customers choose to buy their whole primal cuts which they then offer to break down for them for free. There is also a trained chef Detlef Haupt on the premises at all times that can help buyers with any cooking questions. The prices are often lower than what you may find at supermarkets but the main distinction is the quality of the meat you can get.

haverick meats

haverick meats

They have Wagyu, grain fed and grass fed beef, suckling veal and pig, La Ionica, Barossa Valley and Glenloth chickens, rabbit, goat offal, pheasant and spatchcock. All of their pork is free range and female pork only. The piece de resistance for me at least is their dry aged steaks. Dry aged for five weeks in their custom built dry aging room, the cuts of meat are tender and full of flavour which is why steak connoisseurs prefer a dry aged steak.

haverick meats

haverick meats

It’s not a fancy set up with racks in a cool room (and jackets if you want them) but the prices and cuts are very good. The pork belly is $9.99 a kilo which is  a steal for free range pork. A 500gram Rib Eye Steak which is certified dry aged is $20. They can also do a T Bone in a Bistecca Fiorentina cut (i.e. a one inch thick1 kilo t bone) for $20 a kilo and if it isn’t on the floor they can retrieve it from the back. Other types of beef are Angus Hereford on sale for $10.99 a kilo which they will cut into steaks for you. If you’re entertaining, you can get a 6.5 kg cut for $72 which you can get 20 or so 300gram steaks which makes is a very reasonable $3.60 a steak! Steak party! :P

haverick meats

haverick meats

Now that’s a tomahawk…

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Food Tasting Speed Dating Style in Tamworth!

Once upon a time there was a girl who visited a country town called Tamworth. Tamworth was where one of her best buddies came from and all she knew was how friendly folk were (well if her friend was any indication of the calibre of people). One day she was offered the chance to visit her friend’s hometown. And the mission? To meet local producers and taste their produce in a 5 minute session speed dating style.

Photo by Gordon Hammond from the www.australianregionalfoodguide.com.au

After a 1 hour flight to Tamworth we settle into our digs for the evening, the Powerhouse (what The Second Wife called the “fanciest digs in town”). We make our way into the function room where there are 17 producers that have set up shop. Each one has a display and will give us a rundown of their products and a sample. With me are buyers from RockpoolTwo ProvidoresFlying Fish, Australia on a Plate, Bird Cow Fish and Danks Street Depot amongst others as well as media such as Good Living and Australian Regional Food Guide.

After the introductions and speeches we are each assigned a producer’s table number. We are to speak to each producer for 5 minutes and then move into another. Everyone looks at each other and nods “Speed dating, food tasting style” we say to each other. And the whistle goes off!

Jac Wagyu

tamworth producers tour

I’m assigned Jac Wagyu for my first stop and it’s excellent timing as they carry out a whole prime rib. It’s a family business (as we learn a lot are here) and a fourth generation farming family where they raise grass fed wagyu with a 1-2 and 3-4 marbling score. I prefer grass fed beef for the flavour and the fact that it is better for the environment to produce it (rather than feeding cattle on grain) but it is near to impossible to find grass fed wagyu. They raise 500 plus cattle a year which makes for approximately 1,000,000 kgs of meat. All of their cattle are free range and they use natural base fertilisers (worm waste) which reduces their environmental impact on their property where they farm wheat, lamb sheep and beef Angus on their 2,300 hectare property.

I try a slice of the prime rib. It melts in my mouth. They cut me another slice and I eat that even though it’s about 10am, it’s that buttery soft. They also sell Wagyu burgers with the lesser cuts of Wagyu as their current clientele opt for the prime cuts.

Daily Ritual

tamworth producers tour

*tinkle tinkle* the bell goes and I’m off to my next stop. Daily Ritual is an Armidale based producer that makes gourmet coffee, tea, drinking chocolate and chocolate coated coffee beans. They produce a High altitude blend which is a South American bean grown at over 2000 feet which is popular particularly with students for it’s high caffeine content. Their Signaure blend has also won Bronze in the 2010 Easter Show.

The Super Strawberry

tamworth producers tour

tamworth producers tour

“Oooh tiny scones” I say taking my bag and camera and promptly losing my folder along the way to The Super Strawberry which is a family run business established since 1972 and based in Glen Innes. It’s not Strawberry season at the moment so Cecily offers me a taste of tiny scones with strawberry jam and cream. Prices for her jam are very reasonable at $5.75 for a jar and she gives me two pots to take home with me. There is also a sample of a Dalkeith Mustard Pickle which is made using Guyra tomatoes and they are just divine with cheese on crackers. The shop in Glen Innes also sells strawberries and cream, fresh strawberry milkshakes made with real strawberries as well as scones with tea or coffee.

Bellata Gold

tamworth producers tour

Bellata Gold’s story is an interesting one. Originally farmer Doug Cush sold his durum wheat to Italy. The North West area of NSW is known for it’s golden durum wheat (called the “golden durum triangle”) and it is popular with Italian pasta makers. Soon they started producing pasta of their own using the same type of durum wheat that they were selling to Italy. Technically only 100% durum wheat based pasta can be called pasta (as opposed to 00 flour pasta).

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Meet My Suburb: A Marrickville, St Peters and Dulwich Hill Food Shopping Tour

marrickville food shopping tour

Paesanella Cheese products

Let me show you some of my secrets” Queen Viv said to me one day. I’m sure my Dearest Readers have heard all about my friend Queen Viv. She’s my fairy godmother and very good friend and as fairy godmothers are wont to do, they love to spread a little fairy dust by sharing their secrets. In Queen Viv’s case it’s unlocking the secrets of where she lives. One afternoon she showed me around the light industrial areas of Marrickville, St Peters and Dulwich Hill.

marrickville food shopping tour

Eumundi Smokehouse goodies

It seems that the Inner West is home to some fantastic hidden gems in the form of food factory shops that are also open to the public. Smart residents know all about these places and over the course of a couple of days Queen Viv helps me stock my fridge and pantry with all sorts of fantastic goodies. These places are best approached by bike or car but not impossible to walk between. However bring a chill bag (or several) and some ice packs because you are likely to want to buy!

Paesanella Cheese

marrickville food shopping tour

I don’t need to let Italian cheese lovers know about paesanella cheese. Their cheeses, especially the bocconcini and ricotta are legendary and I’d venture to say that their ricotta is the best commercially made ricotta here. This ricotta is so popular that come any Sunday morning, the lines snake out the door with Italian nonnas bringing their own pots and buckets to nab their stash of still warm freshly made ricottta for Sunday lunch.

marrickville food shopping tour

Fresh ricotta

Their fresh ricotta is the only pure milk  ricotta produced commercially. Other ricottas are made using whey and the by product of other cheese making but what makes this ricotta so good is the fact that it is made from pure milk. The General Manager Tony shows us around. Apparently 10 litres of milk are needed to produce 1 kg of cheese and even at $6.90 a kilo it’s a steal. He gives us a taste from the basket and it’s just as I remembered it – incredibly light, creamy and soft and utterly full of milk flavour. He tells us the way to find out if your ricotta is made from milk or from by products is to check the label. If it features ingredients like Xantham gum, starches, gluten or a chemical cocktail, you are actually paying for less milk in your ricotta and more filling.

marrickville food shopping tour

Paesanella Cheese was started in 1962 by Umberto Somma who came from a 300 year old cheese making family in Naples, Italy (in the buffalo mozzarella region). Since then they have been supplying Neopolitan style fresh cheeses to lucky Sydney siders. During his time making cheese, Umberto’s family asked him to stop making it because his health was deteriorating with emphysema and years later he died while making cheese.

marrickville food shopping tour

Umberto Somma

Speaking to Tony, their philosophy is against that of the the supermarket chains. It’s about making these cheese fresh daily without any additives which means that they are all short shelf life products. This presents issues for supermarkets that want a long shelf life and as a result it is only found at good delis. They’re not willing to change the product in order to supply to supermarkets so manufacture remains at manageable levels.

marrickville food shopping tour

Smoked mozzarella $7.40

Grace, who is behind the counter singing, comes out and shows us the smoked mozzarella which she says is good for stuffing zucchini, in lasagne and pretty much anywhere where regular mozzarella can be used. Looking around the room there are walls of awards and a deli cabinet full of smallgoods, enormous olives and cheeses. Then there’s two fridges with a mixture of imported cheeses and their own cheeses that are made on the premises plus the red white and green Paesanella sticker. They come in 250g, 500gram and 1 kg buckets.

marrickville food shopping tour

Tony shows us the Burrata cheese which is one of their new best sellers. It’s a bocconcini and mozzarella shell filled with cream and mozzarella curd and sounds absolutely divine. It’s ideal for an antipasto dish and can be eaten simply. Just remove it from the pack, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil, oregano or basil and then serve it with some crusty pane di casa bread. Their mascarpone is a rested mascarpone so that all of the acids seep out making it smoother and creamier. They supply their cheese through Simon Johnson to restaurants such as Pilu and Buon Ricordo. And I can’t wait to dig into my 1kg bucket of ricotta when I get home and have it on toast for dinner. Tony gives me some samples of cherry bocconcini, smoked mozzarella, mascarpone, buffalo mozzarella, mozzarella and the delicious sounding Burrata which I plan on using on some special dishes – if I don’t eat it all first!

Eumundi Smokehouse

marrickville food shopping tour

They thought I was a drug dealer or something” Dave Kasmaroski (or Kaz as he’s known) says to Queen Viv and I laughing. The blacked out windows, the 3am sausage making and smoke rooms and the fact that they’re only open on Saturdays from 8am-2pm may have given locals that impression. Until of course they try one of his sausages or smoked meats and they’re transported into a place where sausages are organic and made without any fillers at all (yes they’re all gluten free) and without adding any water. Just pure meat and spices. This morning I’m standing outside the closed up shop and I’ve just called him on his mobile. Moments later a smiling face greets me and I’m let in by a member of his staff. They’re mostly female and very friendly and sweet. We smell that smoke aroma immediately and I recall my last visit here a few moons ago when I bought some of their smoked sausages for a European relative in law who swooned over them. Since then I’ve picked them up at markets all over Sydney as their shop is only open on Saturday from 8am-2pm.

marrickville food shopping tour

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Farmgate Shopping! M&A Butchers, Riverview Produce, Bilpin Orchard & Hawkesbury Harvest Markets

farmgate m&abutchers outside

farmgate m&abutchers paddock

Baaaah!

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go…” I sing quietly to myself. Never mind that my version of hunting doesn’t quite involve a rifle but instead involves a different kind of activity. For this day Mr NQN and I are following Liss and her husband A and their adorable troop of girls on their monthly Farmgate pilgrimage to find the freshest meat, fruit and vegetables. Every month they visit the following farmgate producers and through smart shopping they manage to find food at very competitive prices with the produce lasting them for 3-4 weeks. It would be an adventure for us and we would end it off with a session of apple, lime and fig picking!

farmgate m&abutchers ribbon

Awards upon awards

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