Milk: Cow | Origin: Jura, France | Age: 12 months | AOC

At 12 months, this Comté has arrived at a point of genuine complexity without sacrificing approachability. Brown butter and roasted hazelnuts dominate, with caramel undertones that linger long after the first bite. Those small glistening pockets of crunch scattered through the paste are tyrosine crystals, a sign of proper ageing and the amino acids that form when proteins break down slowly over time. The texture is dense and slightly supple, yielding cleanly under the knife.

A white Burgundy or a Jura Chardonnay is the natural match here, sharing the same terroir as the cheese itself. On the board, try it with a smear of wildflower honey, thin-sliced prosciutto, or a handful of walnuts. Serve at room temperature (8–12°C) for full flavour expression.

Milk: Goat (pasteurised) | Origin: Poitou-Charentes, France | AOC/AOP

AOC protected since 1990 and PDO recognised since 1996, Chabichou must be produced within the limestone-rich Haut Poitou, a region whose geology gives the goat milk a flinty, mineral quality you can taste directly in the cheese.

The shape is a small truncated cylinder, the rind wrinkled by Geotrichum candidum and entirely edible. Inside: bright white, firm but yielding, with a creamline just under the rind that opens into lemon zest, mineral depth, and a nuttier richness as the cheese matures.

Pair it with Sancerre, a Chinon, or lavender honey on a thin cracker. One of the great underrated cheeses of France.

Milk: Goat (pasteurised) | Origin: Loire Valley, France

A note on naming: the full AOC designation "Sainte-Maure de Touraine" applies exclusively to the raw milk version, which cannot be imported into Australia under current food standards. The cheese we stock is a pasteurised version made in the same Loire Valley tradition, presented as Sainte-Maure.

Young and fresh, the flavour is mild and lactic with a gentle tang. Given more time, the rind adds earthiness and a faint peppery edge, while nutty undertones develop in the paste beneath it. The natural grey rind is entirely edible, and the contrast between rind and paste is half the pleasure of the cheese.

A Sancerre from the Loire is the classic partner. Serve on crusty sourdough alongside fresh figs and honey, at room temperature (8–12°C) for full flavour.

Milk: Cow (pasteurised) | Origin: Lombardy/Piedmont, Italy | DOP

Aged considerably longer than its milder sibling Gorgonzola Dolce, Picante carries sharp, tangy, and earthy flavours that intensify with time. The paste is white to pale yellow, compact and crumbly, speckled with a homogeneous distribution of bluish-green marbling throughout. During ageing, metal rods are inserted into the wheel to create air channels that allow the Penicillium mould to develop into the characteristic veining. The rind is compact, rough and grey.

On the board, expect notes of cherries, dark chocolate and black peppercorn, with a texture that is dense and almost fudgy. A long, spicy finish that builds and holds. Balance it with a drizzle of honey, a handful of walnuts, or a glass of Barolo. Crumbled over a simple rocket and pear salad, it is as good as Italian food gets.

Suffolk, England | Pasteurised Cow Milk | Bloomy Rind

Fresh morning milk travels by gravity directly from the milking parlour into the vat: no pumps, no mechanical force, nothing that might compromise the delicate fat structure before the make even begins. The curds are then hand-ladled using traditional long-handled pelle-à-brie ladles, hand-salted, and aged for up to eight weeks. Every step is slow, manual, and deliberate.

The result is a large, 28cm round with a nutty, mushroomy bloomy rind and a paste that moves from silky and golden near the edge toward a fresher, more delicate centre. Warm earth, farmyard, and mushroom on the palate, with occasional citrus and truffle threading through the finish.

Woerden, Netherlands | Pasteurised Cow's Milk | 36 Months

The XO is their longest aged: three years in that environment produces a paste that's crumbly and dense, deep orange near the rind, and absolutely loaded with tyrosine crystals. Pop rocks for grown-ups, scattered through every slice. Made exclusively from summer grass milk. The flavour is butterscotch, roasted walnut, and cognac. It builds, lingers, and does not let go. Robust pairings suit it: a good stout, a single malt, or a dry Oloroso sherry.

Murray Bridge, South Australia | Pasteurised Cow's Milk | 32 Months

This cheddar was aged for 32 months, but what makes it unusual is the decision made at the vat. The cheesemaker inoculated it with Ossau-Iraty cultures.

Ossau-Iraty is a French Basque AOP sheep's milk tomme, one of France's oldest protected cheeses, pressed and aged in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Using its cultures in a cow's milk cheddar is a choice that takes years to find out whether it worked. After 32 months, the answer is very much yes, and yes, there are crystals. More pop rocks.

Those Basque cultures contribute a sweetness and nuttiness more typical of sheep's milk cheese, sitting alongside the clean acidity and structure that good Australian cheddar builds naturally over time.

Italy | Lazio | Sheep's Milk | Cave-Aged 6 Months

The dairy sits within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, and every wheel starts with sheep's milk from flocks grazing at altitude — collected from nearby farms and processed within 24 hours of milking.

Alongside their long-aged reserves and DOP Pecorino Romano, the Petrucci brothers have developed an affinati range: wheels that receive a finishing treatment after cave ageing, each designed around a single flavour idea executed with restraint. We have the Calabrian Chilli Finish in store this week.

Origin: Pyrenees, Basque Country & Béarn, France | Style: Semi-Hard, AOP | Milk: Manech & Basco-Béarnaise Sheep

Aged for a minimum of three months in cool, humid cellars — with the finest wheels pushing twelve or more — the paste develops a firm, supple texture and a flavour that builds patiently. Butter and fresh grass come first, then roasted hazelnut and caramel, with a mineral linger on the finish that carries the elevation of the mountain pastures.

Lille, France | Cow's Milk

The flavour is butterscotch, caramelised, nutty, with a savoury depth.

Origin: La Mancha, Spain | Style: Hard, DOP | Milk: Manchega Sheep

The mezcal wash is where this particular wheel takes an unexpected turn. Applied during affinage, the agave spirit deposits a faint earthiness on the rind and draws a thread of smoke and dried chilli warmth through the paste — flavours that sit alongside the Manchego character rather than transforming it. There's a quiet sweetness in the finish that lingers long after the first bite.

Serve at room temperature with quince paste, dark chocolate, or a glass of aged Tempranillo. The rind is worth exploring — the agave influence concentrates there.

England | Pasteurised Cow's Milk | Traditional West Country Cheddar, 14+ Months Aged

200 g
400 g
2 kg

Sweet and tangy with exceptional creaminess. Those occasional crunchy calcium crystals tell you this cheddar earned its flavour through patient ageing, not shortcuts.

Long Paddock, Castlemaine, Victoria | Organic Pasteurised Cow's Milk | Clothbound Cheddar, 10-12 Months Aged

Dense yet crumbly texture. Deeply savoury with grassy, buttery flavours. Clean acid line. Earthy undertones with satisfying umami length. Named after local geology, made with European mastery.

Muscatels on the vine are premium, hand-picked grapes that are air-dried directly on the stem, resulting in a dark, intensely sweet, and tender raisin-like fruit. They look fabulous on cheese plates and match most cheese styles.

A small pickled cucumber, a traditional condiment match, particularly with cheddar.

Calvisano is a typical town located in the middle of the Po Valley in the province of Brescia, an area rich in fresh spring water.

The unique features of the pure water in the area are the foundation of the excellent ecosystem that ensures Calvisius caviar its authenticity and freshness.

Whole Clementines, a variety of seedless tangerines from Calabria, Italy. Ideal for cheese boards, gelato or pastries.

With Valrhona 80%, you can be sure you've chosen the most suitable chocolate for your recipe with the right cocoa intensity. It’s also a truely decadent match grated over triple cream Brie.