RIP Mt. Hector
Mt. Hector, a natural rind goats milk cheese from Kapiti, one of my favourites, has been discontinued.
This is a photo of our last meeting.. past the manufacturer's due date (by about 2 weeks), this cheese was still chalky in the middle and, although tacky, was lacking any real flow.. so we had another taste today.
It is remarkably pungent. Moreso than at the last evaluation. Hugely nutty, almost burnt caramel and soy sauce aromas permeate through the paper wrapper. Not to get caught up in all this savoury character though, there is still dairy in there.. a sweetish aroma, faintly grassy and hay.
Alas, all good things must come to an end..
This is a photo of our last meeting.. past the manufacturer's due date (by about 2 weeks), this cheese was still chalky in the middle and, although tacky, was lacking any real flow.. so we had another taste today.It is remarkably pungent. Moreso than at the last evaluation. Hugely nutty, almost burnt caramel and soy sauce aromas permeate through the paper wrapper. Not to get caught up in all this savoury character though, there is still dairy in there.. a sweetish aroma, faintly grassy and hay.
Alas, all good things must come to an end..
Comments
Te Mata Cheeses in Havelock Nrth have a version called Mt Erin, a former Kapiti cheese maker worked at Te Mata for awhile.
To my knowledge River Terrace are no longer producing cheese, the farm was sold and the cheese plant mothballed.
Many thanks for visiting and for your update on the cheese front. I believe you are right on both counts.
My info was from my supplier in Dunedin and whether or not that was direct, or from their supplier or elsewhere in the great distribution chain, I'm not sure.
No excuse though, I fully admit to being terrible with updating posts more that a few months old and I have had Mt.Hector since this post.
*blush*
The similar Mt Erin you mention is good too. Quite enjoyed it (aged to near perfection) at the Food Show in Wellington.
I didn't know about River Terrace, sad. The sale and/or abandonment of farms producing a few distinct varieties with either ewe's or goat's milk is a huge loss.
cheers!