jojosan

Well, here's a very sad and strange thing. I really cheese. Yes I know, great conversation starter!

Anyway, how well off is Australia with regard to cheeses? You get great British cheeses and of course the choice of European ones when in UK. Will I be okay in Oz????

With much anticipation and licking of lips!

jojosan

Oops - of course I meant to say I really LOVE cheese! I'm always being nagged about proof reading!!

FluffyTheCampfireSlayer

Good question - will be watching the reponses!

It's one thing that we failed to look at during our validation last year! I vaguely remember the selection being not 'arf bad, but await further responses!

Shakmaty

Can't speak for Adelaide, but I go to the Vic market in Melbourne to get cheese. It's great, especially the stuff from Tassie or New Zealand. Wanganui Vintage is my fave. Good for soft cheeses, smoked cheeses and blue cheeses too.

Saying that, the supermarkets are crap for cheese. You may have to shop about a bit, but there are good cheeses here, whatever anyone else says

Vanessa

there are some good cheeses but I think the only unpasturised one you will get is Roquefort. How I miss a good unpasturised cheddar, brie etc etc. We are going back to the UK in June/July and I am so looking forward to a fabulous plate of cheese followed by fresh Foie gras (yes I know its cruel but so are lots of things!!!!!)

Amazulu

It's not as good as the UK but not too bad. The major supermarkets have a range of specialist cheeses and there are deli's that are even better. Our local butcher has some great Italian cheeses, included some imported stuff.

Unless you are after something really obscure then you will be well catered for.

CasG

I agree - there are some lovely cheeses...but to find them, people have to get out of the supermarket, and into the delis and markets

Pollyana

Yep, you need to search for good delis. Supermarket mass-market cheese is kak, don't give if house room. Most of it tasetes like candlewax, and how they have the nerve to label it "tasty" defeats me!!
Tas cheeses are excellent once you track them down - Mersey Valley especially. There are some Qld ones called Kenilworth - they have herbs and peppers and stuff, but again you have to be patient and search for them.

They don't like the unpasteurised stuff here, you just can't get it. For someone like me that adores farm-shop cheese, its a bit of a blow

And for those like me who love bringing food from home back with them....its now legal to import cheese!!! Make sure its sealed in the manufacturers package, and declare it and you'll be fine (I know, I've done it now love the face of the Customs/AQIS man when he asked what was in the bag!). The UK has been declared a foot-and-mouth free country, so the rules of changed on importing lt

232Bar

Take a trip to Maleny once you're here, also New Farm Deli in (you guessed it) New Farm - you won't be disappointed

Deadmeat

I have a passing interest in cheese, I guess on a scale of 1 (only eat if it was either that or liver) and 10 (only eat cheese, drive car made of cheese, work in cheese factory, married to a mouse, etc ...) then I'm a 4.

Given my limited ethusiasm (in which context this posting should be read) I have not been disappointed by my cheese choices in Oz. A fine selection of biscuits to put them on too, should you be that way inclined.

sme

But wouldn't a car made out of cheese melt a la toasted sandwich in the heat or has it had added that magical ingredient that is added to chocolate to prevent sticky gooey hands

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In anticipation,
Gillian

chels

Imported cheese from Europe can be very expensive - typically about $45 a kilo but I've been caught out by $90-100 ones. I'm lucky (my bank balance isn't so) that a local deli has a purpose built fromagerie with a cheese tasting room, full of European and Australian cheeses, but most local delis will have a bit of a selection and David Jones Food Hall's are also a good bet.

Farmer's markets are great for getting locally produced cheeses, as well as organic supermarkets.

Word of warning - Australian 'brie' and 'camembert' are nothing like the French versions. Even the triple cream versions to me taste like creamy rubber. Apparently there isn't a market in Australia for the softer style brie etc so they purposely make it so you can bounce it against a wall for an impromptu game of donkey.

Vash the Stampede

Simply not true. There's a flourishing soft cheese market, with strong representation from some very high quality producers. You just need to spend a little more, that's all.

King Island Black Label Double Brie (to name just one example) is a very soft, very creamy brie that's simply out of this world.
Here.

Tasmanian cheese has won international recognition (not to mention international awards). In fact, the Tasmanian food industry ranks pretty well all round. Tassie even exports truffles to France - can't argue with that!

Pollyana

Tasmanian cheese is superb; thank god you can get some of it up here. One of the best cheese I ever had was Strawberry Cheese - came from a strawberry farm somewhere up towards Gerrgetown - absolutely melt in the mouth stuff.

As a mushroom fan too I must look for that King Island Brie.....

chels

Yes it is, in my opinion - Australian bries are not like French bries (which are the best in the world). I've tried King Island ones, and although they do not have the same rubberiness of the cheap bries, they don't have the same texture as French bries (chalky, firm rind with a soft inside, and not too strong a mushroomy taste if you're not keen on that and not too creamy). Same with goat's cheese. Haven't found any Australian goats cheese yet that I think matches French goats cheese.

I'd rather spend my money on a French brie than an Australian one, experience has shown that I prefer the taste and texture. If that means paying more money, I'll do so for something I actually want to eat. I've preferred Castello cheese over some of the 'quality' Australian bries.

Thank goodness France isn't so anti- non french products as Australia is about non-Australian products! Only kidding...

Where in my post did I say that all Australian cheeses are bad? I recommended farmers markets etc for locally grown product. There are quite a few Australian cheeses that have bowled me over (and I'm not talking about Costello) - I'm a big fan of marinated fetta, yabna, the Mersey Valley brand and many others. But not brie. You won't change my mind on this one!

For the OP - beware Australian mozzarella and feta too, they are usually made from cow's milk rather than buffalo or sheep. I've never been able to find buffalo mozzarella in the supermarket (only in delis) - boccocini is a substitute but is made from cow's milk so doesn't taste the same. Creme fraiche is also thin on the ground, though it has begun to be stocked in the supermarket, it is still on the expensive side. People have suggested ricotta or sour cream as a substitute, but sometimes it doesn't quite work in the recipe.