Support these 4 local cheesemakers

Who doesn’t love a cheese platter? Better still, why not impress your family and friends with delicious local cheeses?

The South Coast and highlands have several small cheesemakers who produce award-winning cheeses and would love your support. Here are some of them:

The Pines

This micro dairy produces gelato, yoghurt and hand-crafted cheese from the happy cows at Kiama. Not only are their farm practices regenerative and biodynamic, they are sustainable in other ways like solar and battery storage, water storage and compostable gelato cups and spoons.

Visit the Pines website

Pecora Cheese

Producing sheep’s milk cheese, this family enterprise produced Australia’s first raw milk cheese – Yarrawa – which won an award at the Royal Sydney Show this year. They also produce a raw feta and blue cheese, amongst others.

Visit the Pecora Dairy website

Unicorn Cheese

No, not made from the milk of the unicorn, this Shoalhaven-based cheesemaker has a range of cheeses including camembert, triple cream and chilli brie. They also make a lactose-free camembert.

Visit the Unicorn Cheese website

Tilba Cheese

This one is a bit further afield but still a small enterprise. The cow of choice here is Jersey, chosen for its high butterfat and protein content. They produce a range of cheeses as well as milk, yoghurt and cream. Visit when the factory is operating to view the cheesemaking through the glass windows of the ABC Cheese Factory in Tilba.

Flame Tree Co-op in Thirroul is a local stockist.

Visit the Tilba Dairy website

Hot tip – try an Australian muscat with your cheese platter. The Rutherglen and Glenrowan regions of Victoria make varieties of this sticky, sweet fortified liqueur which pairs beautifully with cheese.