Whitestone Cheese chief executive Simon Berry and his head cheese-maker, Chris Moran, travelled through France over 10 days in September to seek inspiration and techniques for their cheese-making and said they were struck by France’s love for, and use of flavours in, its cheese.
The men took two of their cheeses on the trip, the Vintage Windsor Blue and Vintage Five Forks, a blend of goat’s and cow’s milk.
At Fromagerie Laurent Dubois, a highly regarded specialty cheese shop in Paris, the store manager was impressed with what he tried, Mr Berry reported.
"One guy said, ‘you’ve got the All Blacks and now you’ve got the blue cheese’."
It was interesting to see new methods being used in the different parts of cheese-making, including things like adding sake and floral flavours to cheese, he said.
"They’re so much stronger [the flavours] over there than in New Zealand.
"We’d like to get into it. More complex flavours."
The most interesting cheese the duo tried was a 2-year-old goat’s milk cheese called Chabis Repasse.
"I wouldn’t call it horrendous. It was so complex. It was fascinating.
"The French are so into their natural flavouring. They’re so liberal with their floral bacteria."
They also tried cheese with cheese mites.
New Zealand and France were at very similar stages in their cheese-making, but France was more advanced in its flavours.
"That was the inspiring thing we can work towards."
