Glorious Cheese
Christchurch, New Zealand
By: Sean Overpeck
Visited in August 2014
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AN UPDATE: As of July 2018 this business will be closing it doors and moving on to bigger and betetr things. From Wine Dine and Play plus all of your patrons world-wide, we wish Sarah and Martin Aspinwall well.
I had been in Christchurch for two days, waiting for a flight down south to McMurdo Station, on Ross Island, Antarctica where I would work for the next six months. Now being in the food industry my coworkers and I were addicted to cheese, and we just stumbled upon a great location in the center of the city, and loved it so much that we went back several times, and even ordered some of their cheese to be flown down on a monthly basis so we could serve it on Sunday Brunches in Antarctica.
From the home page:
Cheesemongers are people who buy and sell cheese.
They maintain an important link between cheesemakers and customers feeding information back and forth about flavor and texture, about making and seasonality. The best ones also take on the task of storing and looking after cheese so that it can be sold when just right.
We began selling cheese from the back of a French Simca van at the Christchurch Arts Centre and Riccarton markets in 2000. It started as a part-time venture, and we stored and matured cheese in a large shipping container parked in our back garden. In 2002 we opened our first shop and bakery on Salisbury St. This was demolished following the September 2010 earthquake and we re-opened, four months later, in premises located in the Arts Centre, central Christchurch.
We learned all about cheese while working at Neal’s Yard Dairy in London. They were established in Covent Garden in 1979 and began by making yogurt and soft cheeses.
When we were there, they had become the shop window for the best handmade British and Irish Farmhouse cheeses and in so doing had played a huge part in rescuing traditional territorial cheeses from a decline, begun during the 2nd World War and accelerated with the growth of supermarkets and mass-produced foods in the 70’s.
Main review:
The Cheesemongers is a small shop that also doubles as a small deli and coffee house style location, and as you enter you have your typical deli with open kitchen behind it, where fresh pieces of bread are also made daily. On the shelves are grocery items from local vendors that pair with the cheese. Speaking of the cheese, to the right as you enter is a refrigerator door, and a wall of glass to look into a large walk-in refrigerator with a very large selection of cheeses from around the world, over 100.
The workers and owner invited us into the refrigerator, and as the door opened our senses were overloaded by the sudden rush of the awesome smells of cheeses. They, of course, had a large selection of New Zealand cheeses from cow, goat, buffalo, and sheep, with the Wangapeka Brie and Camembert mold, and the Meyer Vintage Gouda were my favorites. We bought some Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc and bread to go along with the cheeses. See the full cheese menu below.
New Zealand Cheese:
Cow (Soft and Blue):
- Evansdale Farmhouse mold ripened, brie style made by Colin and Paul Dennison, Evansdale Cheese in Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin, Otago. Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Evansdale Tania mold ripened, brie style, smoked made by Colin and Paul Dennison, Evansdale Cheese in Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin, Otago. Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Windsor Blue mold ripened blue cheese made by Whitestone Cheese in Oamaru, Nth Otago. Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Lindis Pass mold ripened brie style made by Whitestone Cheese in Oamaru, Nth Otago. Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Peninsula Blue mold ripened blue cheese made by Barry’s Bay Cheese on the Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- OMG Brie soft extra cream, mold ripened cheese made by Over the Moon Dairy Company in Putaruru, South Waikato. Very rich, becoming strong with age. Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet. Over the Moon is home to the New Zealand Cheesemaking School. Large cheeses (1kg)
- Emilio Festa’s Stracchino, Crescenza, and Ricotta. Super fresh cheeses delivered every Thursday from Aylesbury South Canterbury. Northern Italian farmhouse cheeses styles. Stracchino (150gm) and Crescenza (1.5kg) Ricotta (1kg)
- Wangapeka Brie and Camembert mold ripened soft French-style cheeses, made by the Trafford family, at Wangapeka Dairy, near Tapawera, Nelson, Brie (2-3kg) and Camembert (120-200g)
- Kinzett Creek/Wangapeka Washed, firmer washed rind similar to the French Tomme de Savoie. , Kinzett Creek/Washed
- Blue Rock from Wangapeka Dairy, semi-soft mild blue with a sticky washed rind.
- Kaikoura Cheese Harnett and Bureaucrat, gentle milder washed rinded from Kaikoura cheese, Harnett, whole cheese, Bureaucrat.
Cow (Hard):
- Meyer Vintage Gouda, aged 18 months – 3 years, made by Miel Meyer, at Meyer Gouda cheese, nr Hamilton, Waikato. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Meyer Maasdam, semi-hard, Swiss style, made by Miel Meyer, Hamilton, Waikato. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Mahoe Vintage Gouda aged to a minimum of 3 years, made by the Rosevear family at Mahoe Cheese, Keri Keri, and Northland. Organic Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Mahoe Vintage Edam also aged to a minimum of 3 years, made by the Rosevear family, Keri Keri, Northland. Organic Pasteurized part-skimmed cow’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Barry’s Bay Rinded Cheddar cloth bound made by Barry’s Bay Cheese on the Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Barry’s Bay Maasdam semi-hard, Swiss style made on the Banks Peninsula, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Karikaas Vintage Gouda traditional 10kg wheels made by Karikaas in Loburn, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Karikaas Maasdam (young and aged) semi-soft and hard, Swiss style made in Loburn, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet.
- Leyden traditional Gouda with toasted cumin made by Karikaas in Loburn, Canterbury. Pasteurized cow’s milk, traditional rennet. Aged, Vintage
- Red Leicester cloth bound truckles made by Chris Whalley at Mount Eliza Cheese in Kati-Kati, Bay of Plenty. Semi-hard to hard, made to a traditional recipe from pasteurized cow’s milk. Microbial rennet.
- Traditional Cheddar from Mount Eliza cheese, Pasteurized cow’s milk, microbial rennet
- Cwmglyn Farmhouse Cheese, from Biddy Fraser-Davies in Eketahuna. The smallest of our suppliers with just four Guernsey cows. Hard, lactic and sweet with natural rinds. Pasteurized cow’s milk and using microbial rennet
Buffalo:
- Mozzarella traditional pasta filata (hand stretched) fresh cheese made by Helen and Richard Dorresteyn, Clevedon Valley Buffalo, Clevedon, Hauraki. Pasteurized buffalo milk, traditional rennet.
- Bocconcini traditional pasta filata (hand stretched) fresh cheese, smaller rounds than the Mozzarella, made by Helen and Richard Dorresteyn, Clevedon Valley Buffalo, Clevedon, Hauraki. Pasteurized buffalo milk, traditional rennet.
Goat:
- Parvenu small Tomme style, semi-hard to hard cheese made by Jan and John Walter at Crescent Dairy Goats in Kumeu, North West of Auckland. Pasteurized organic goat’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Dirty Devil small washed rind crottins made by Jan and John Walter at Crescent Dairy Goats in Kumeu, North West of Auckland. Pasteurized organic goat’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Taupaki Blue also from Crescent Dairy in Kumeu. Mild, drier and crumbly, surprisingly mild goaty flavor.
- Goat Curd soft fresh curd cheese made at Meadowcroft Farm in Puramahoi, Golden Bay. Pasteurized goat’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Tenara ash-covered soft goat similar to the French Tomme de Chevre Cendree or St Maure. From Kaikoura Dairy and made with pasteurized goats milk and microbial rennet.
- Fresh Goat curd from Kaikoura Dairy.
Sheep:
- Richmond Red and Neudorf Pecorino small Tomme style, semi-hard to hard cheese made by Fiona Guyan and Brian Beurke at Neudorf Dairy, Moutere, near Nelson. Pasteurized ewe’s milk, microbial rennet. Richmond Red $9.50 per 100gm, Pecorino
- Curio Bay Pecorino hard-pressed cheese made by Maxi Robertson at Blue River Dairy, Invercargill. Pasteurized ewe’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Monowai Haloumi fresh, firm traditional frying cheese made by Maxi Robertson at Blue River Dairy, Invercargill. Pasteurized ewe’s milk, microbial rennet.
- Tussock Creak Sheep’s Feta sweet, salty and crumbly, made by Maxi Robertson at Blue River Dairy, Invercargill. Pasteurized ewes milk, microbial rennet, Halal registered.
Other Noteworthy Dessert and Cheese Shop Articles and Restaurants:
Asail AlSham Sweets “Mastic” ice-cream in Deira Dubai, UAE
Café du Monde Iconic café & coffeehouse serving beignets since 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Canterbury Cheesemongers Artisan cheese & pastry shop in Christchurch, New Zealand
Cowgirl Creamery Artisan cheese “aka” Cowgirl Cantina in Point Reyes Station, California
Mount Nelson Afternoon Tea Banquet of pastries & sandwiches at the Belmond, in Cape Town, S. Africa
River Street Sweets This candy shop is known for homemade pralines in Charleston, South Carolina
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
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Address:
The Arts Centre
Registry Building
301 Montreal St
Christchurch, New Zealand
Neighborhood:
Historical district
Cross streets:
Hereford Street & Worcester Street
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: -43.528774
Longitude: 172.630278
Longitude: 172.630278
Contact Information:
Phone contact:
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+64 3 379 0075
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Website:
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Social Media:
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Hours:
Monday
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closed
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Tuesday
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9:00 am –5:00 pm
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Wednesday
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9:00 am –5:00 pm
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Thursday
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9:00 am –5:00 pm
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Friday
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9:00 am –5:00 pm
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Saturday
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10:00 am –4:00 pm
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Sunday
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closed
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Standard Time (GMT +12:00)
Proprietor / Manager:
Sarah & Martin Aspinwall
Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
