Say Cheese: Creating award-winning European-styled cheeses in Nelson | Stuff.co.nz

If you follow news about food you will be aware that the new free Trade Agreement with the UK means cheesemakers won’t be able to use the name ‘feta’ in nine years time. While large corporate cheese makers like the various Fonterra brands export a significant amount of cheese to Europe, feta is a tiny component but for our artisan, small and medium size cheese local cheesemakers who sell about 95% of their produce in the New Zealand marketplace it will have a big impact. On a much more positive note, at the 2022 NZ Champions of Cheese Awards one Nelson producer, who has always had a total focus on producing the highest quality cheese they can, has had their efforts rewarded by being awarded one of four Supreme Champion Trophies. Little River Estate was awarded the New World Champion of Champion Cheese Award – Mid-sized cheesery with their Little River Mt Richmond which is a firm favourite cheese in our house. MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFFDave Barrett says his French cheese-maker adds a lot to the crafting of their products. In the first round of awards announced in February the Little River Mt Richmond won the IXOM Champion European Style Cheese Award and moving on to win a Supreme Champion Trophy is a magnificent achievement. Add to that the fact the same cheese (then called Little River Estate Aged Swiss) was awarded Champion European Style Cheese in 2021 as well you can buy this cheese with absolute confidence in the quality. Master Judge Jason Tarrant noted Little River Estate, Little River Mt Richmond; is “A very near perfect cheese scoring a consistent 99/100 across the judging panel. Superb.” High praise indeed and something Dave Barrett and his team at Thorvald and Little River can be very proud of. When I spoke with Dave after the awards were announced he told me that their French cheesemaker, Francis, brings a huge amount of experience to his role at Thorvald (sheep milk cheeses) and Little River (A2 milk cheeses) and, while this win is huge for them, they are really proud of the full range of cheeses they make at the dedicated factory on Neudorf Rd, Upper Moutere. I wanted to know what makes a champion cheese and Dave says it is “a total dedication to quality, doing everything to the highest standards, using the best milk we can get, and of course having great staff who are experts in what they do”. “Our Cheesemaker, Francis, studied food technology and cheesemaking in his home country of France. He honed his skills in Franche-Comte, a renowned cheese-making region in France and has more than 10 years’ experience in the industry working in Australia, France, Switzerland and New Zealand. He has married a New Zealander and has made New Zealand his home so we are incredibly fortunate to have him hand-crafting our artisan cheeses.MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFFThe Junction store in Appleby sells a range of products. In the case of the Supreme Champion Cheese for mid-size businesses Dave says “this is a really special cheese for us, obviously winning the best European style cheese two years in a row is a significant achievement and the Supreme Champion award is the icing on the cake, everyone in the business is hugely proud of these awards. “Last year it was called Little River Estate Aged Swiss, but we are keen to create cheeses with our identity rather than relying on being associated with a foreign cheese. We are also excited about the opportunities the decision to stop using the name Feta gives the industry, we need to be proud of the quality of cheeses made in New Zealand so we should be creating our own identity.” So what drives Dave and his wife Sue to dedicate so much time and energy to making and selling exquisite artisan cheeses? “I’m keen to explore how old traditions can be rediscovered and reinterpreted in our local context. Making cheese in New Zealand, using local milk but applying old world traditional techniques lets us create something special that reflects us and where we live.” Dave and Sue have taken this philosophy and have created a group of businesses that are complimentary. Thorvald and Little River Estate produce more than just cheese, their range includes yoghurts, Kefir, cream cheese and sour cream with the full range available at The Junction. They opened the Junction on the corner of McShane Road and the Appleby Highway initially as an outlet for their cheeses but Dave and Sue always had plans to sell more than cheese, today it is an Euro-style deli that sells a wide range of premium deli products and Kahurangi Estate wines. They even have a cheese master on-hand who has curated a wonderful selection of cheese from other regions in New Zealand and overseas. Little River Estate and Thorvald dairy brands are businesses the whole region can be proud of, they use as many local products as they can to make their outstanding cheeses and other dairy products while their commitment to absolute quality is obvious in the end products.