Say Cheese!
Crackers smothered in decadent cream cheese or dripping in runny Brie, mature Camembert sandwiched in the loving embrace of a crispy French baguette, or chunks of Gouda and Cheddar accompanied by the perfect glass of wine. This is the stuff that cheese lovers’ dreams are made of… and KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands Meander is the setting.
Swissland Cheese
Swissland Cheese has been a staple on the Midlands Meander since it started, first as a little roadside stall and later at its current location in a Swiss-style chalet perched on top of a hill.
These days the farm boasts over 60 snow white Swiss Saanen milking goats, four full time employees and a little cheese shop that hums with activity. And little wonder too, when you sample some of Swissland’s delectable cheeses. Swissland currently produces nine different types of cheese, ranging from plain, pepper and garlic Feta to cream cheese and Chevin, a creamy fresh goat cheese that also comes in a variety of flavours (the smoked is particularly tasty).
Owner Fran Vermaak’s most popular cheeses, however, are undoubtedly her white mould varieties – Brie, St Maure and Drakensberg. “Usually Camembert and Brie are made from cow’s milk, so it is quite unique to find goat’s milk varieties,” explains Fran. “The goat’s milk varieties are also not as strong for some reason and even when they are very runny and ripe, they do not give off as much ammonia.”
Whatever your preference, Swissland makes a variety of cheese to suit most palettes – even those that might otherwise turn their noses up at the thought of goat’s milk cheese. “When I first started, it was hard to get people to even taste the cheese, but now I can see a huge change towards goat’s cheese. I still get people who are wary, but generally most people who come in here, have a small taste and they always say: ‘Oh, that’s lovely!’”
As well as the cheese shop, it is also worth visiting the goats themselves, and children will love the opportunity to be able to feed them. The months of July and August are also baby goat season and these tiny white gambolling creatures are guaranteed to elicit an “aah, cute!” out of even the hardest of hearts!
Swissland Cheese is located near Balgowan (off the R103). The cheese shop is open weekdays (except Thursdays) from 09h30 to 16h30 and weekends from 09h30 to 16h30. It is best to visit between 15h00 and 17h00 to watch the goats being milked. For more information, contact +27 33 234 4042 or email cheez@telkomsa.net.
Marrakesh Cheese Farm
When Chris and Sue Coetzer decided to retire from the corporate world, they did so in true Midlands style – by buying a goat farm and learning the art of cheese making! That was ten years ago, and they admit that the initial learning curve was steep: “In the first few weeks we probably threw away 300 or 400 kilograms of cheese.” But they also say that it was a lesson that has stood them in good stead. “It was good because it set the standard for us: If we make a bad batch, we chuck it out. Although that doesn’t happen that often nowadays,” Chris explains.
Another big change at Marrakesh is that the Coetzers have recently sold their goats and changed to making cow’s milk cheese instead. In many ways, Chris says that it is a relief to no longer have to worry about the care of the livestock anymore, and thus far their new cow’s milk cheese has been flying off the shelves.
These include varieties of thick, creamy cottage cheese flavoured with spring onions, garlic or olives; a young, sweet Gouda with a slight tingle behind it; and one of the best blue cheeses I have ever tasted. Old habits die hard and Chris still makes a traditional goat’s cheese (Chabrie), but with cow’s milk instead. This semi-soft, light and creamy cheese lends itself well to flavours and Chris has experimented with everything from traditional pepper and garlic flavours to jalapeno peppers and even peppadews.
The Coetzers treat each visitor to their little cheese shop to a comprehensive cheese tasting of up to ten different cheeses with an explanation of each. But be warned, one will be hard pressed to pick just one at the end! “I am not a master cheese maker by any means, but we make cheese and people love it and that, to me, is the difference,” ends Chris.
Marrakesh can be found on the R103 in Rosetta. The cheese shop (which also sells delicious homemade chutney, jams and fudge) is open daily from 09h30 to 17h00. Contact +27 33 267 7258, or email marrakesh@dillon.co.za for more information.
La Petite France
La Petite France certainly lives up to its name. This little cheese factory in Hilton – which specialises in hand made Camembert and Brie – was originally started by a Frenchman, Hubert Verbizier, who insisted on using specially imported cultures and rennet from France and making his cheese using only the traditional French methods. The result was a Camembert so superb, it instantly transported all who tasted it straight back to France’s idyllic cheese making regions.
When Hubert could resist the call of his homeland no longer, he was relieved to find two equally ardent cheese lovers, Leon Combrinck and Geré Victor, to continue where he left off. “Hubert was very happy to find people who were passionate about cheese and was happy to sell to us because he knew we would look after the product,” explains Geré.
That was two years ago, and since then not only have Leon and Geré maintained Hubert’s exceptional standards, but they have expanded their cheese production to include Brie and have plans to start making hard cheeses this year as well. The duo are also very excited about the prospect of relocating to a much larger factory in Curry’s Post, and of doubling their production of 9,600 cheeses a month once they do so.
This increase in production is fast becoming a necessity as Leon and Geré have garnered a loyal – and growing – number of fans across the country, including a number of top chefs. La Petite France cheese is now available at food markets across the country and can also be found on the menus of a number of top hotels.
But what exactly is it that makes La Petite France cheese so special? “Our cheeses contain no preservatives, flavourants, colourants or stabilisers. We use only fresh Jersey milk, and our dairy is in the process of being certified organic,” Geré explains. “We also make the only handmade Camembert and Brie in the country, all of the others have some mechanised process involved,” Leon adds. All of La Petite France’s cheeses are also wrapped in a special, micro-permeable paper that allows them to “breathe” during maturation, and to release the ammonia that so often gets trapped in foil-wrapped cheeses. As a result, La Petite France’s cheeses have a delicious nutty flavour, as opposed to the mushroomy flavour of most of their competitors.
“Next, we are after world domination!” Geré laughs. And while he may be joking now, a taste of one of La Petite France’s heavenly cheeses makes one think that it may be a distinct possibility some day.
La Petite France is currently located in Sutton Road in Hilton, but will soon relocate to Curry’s Post. For more information on distributors in your part of the country, contact +27 33 343 3487 or email lapetitefrance@ginkgo.co.za.
Story by Nicky Furniss
