Blue Cheese

Bold, blue and beautifully sharp 

From creamy and mellow to bold and tangy, blue cheese is a world of complex flavours and textures. Aged to perfection in humidity-controlled cellars, each variety develops its own signature character, thanks to time and technique.

Blue cheese is a unique category of mould-ripened cheese with a pungent salty, piquant flavour. Its natural, crusty rind gives it a rustic appearance and develops as the cheese matures in humidity-controlled cellars. Today, Australia produces dozens of cheeses, each with its own unique profile.

It all starts with a tiny but mighty ingredient: Penicillium Roqueforti. These mould spores are added to milk right at the beginning of the cheesemaking process. After the curd is cut and whey drained, blue cheeses are not mechanically pressed but turned so the weight of the curd pushes out moisture (translation: gravity does its thing). The curd remains loosely packed in hoops to leave room for the blue mould grow. The hoop size depends on the style of cheese being made and influences the cheese’s development. The next day, the cheese is salted and turned, setting the stage for its signature flavour.

The next step? A little aeration. Stainless steel needles pierce the cheese, encouraging the blue cultures to flourish. Depending on the variety, this process (known as stitching) may happen multiple times, allowing the mould to grow along the spike lines and spread into the crevices of the curd.

Stainless steel needles are used to pierce the cheese to assist the growth of blue cultures while the cheese matures. This process may be done anywhere between one and three times. Blue mould grows along the spike lines and into the smaller veins of the curd. No two blue cheeses are exactly alike. Each style is made unique by the type and quantity of blue culture added to milk, the way the cheese is spiked (stitched), the size of the cheese and the way the cheese is matured.

Whether you're a die-hard blue cheese fan or just warming up to the idea, there’s no denying its cult status. Bold, complex and just a little rebellious, this is the cheese that leaves a lasting impression.