New cheeses replace the old

Thirty years ago, Margaret River and many of the small towns in the Cape to Cape region had their own cheese factories. They used the milk from the surrounding district, which with its high cream and solids content due to the good all year round quality feed from the area's high rainfall, was renowned as the best in the state. The milk is still the best, but the old cheese factories making cheddar have long since closed down and new types of cheesemaking can now be found in the South West, with state-of-the-art technology being used to make exotic cheeses and a huge range of dairy products. The consumers have changed their taste in cheeses, too, although Fonti Farm and Margaret River Cheese Factory managing director Phillip Ellingworth said some consumer education was still needed. "Sometimes people still ring up about the house speciality, the brie, which is made in the traditional Normandy style," Phillip said. When fully ripe at six to seven weeks old the cheese is a light marigold colour, with a silky smooth, almost flowing consistency. "Sometimes people ring up and say they bought the brie and when they cut it it was running out the sides," Phillip said. "But that's how the cheese is supposed to be." From May to September the pastures around Fonti Farm are a bright, almost luminescent green and the farm's Fresian herd produces its richest milk. With the herd fed on silage over the summer the milk turns pale ivory, reminiscent of many European winter cheeses. While the Margaret River Cheese Company concentrates on the bries and camemberts made by its Swiss cheese maker, Fonti Farm now has many varieties of cheeses, yoghurts and marinated cheeses. "The brie is our flagship, the king of cheeses and at $30 a kilo is top of the range," Phillip said. "We also make Metricup Gold, an harvarti cheese which is only sold here." Aged for at least eight months, the cheese becomes drier and the flavour more outspoken with each month. When released it has a firm dry interior scattered with numerous irregular small holes. Other innovative cheeses made at Fonti Farm include the baked ricotta, which has a distinct caramelised flavour. Low in fat and baked to a golden brown hue, the cheese has a delicate, subtle flavour which enhances other foods. It is also sold marinated in herbs and oil. "We have developed a reputation for innovation and our most recent products include a coffee and a chocolate-flavoured yoghurt described as the wholesome indulgence range," Phillip said. "This is a luxury food and is selling well in the Victorian market. "Sometimes we get up to 400 people a day through our doors." Fonti also produces feta cheese in herbs, feta in brine and marinated feta. The Farmhouse range of cheeses includes pepper and chilli, and garlic and parsley. Visitors to Fonti Farm also have the opportunity to sample the products and try a refreshing milkshake.