Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll… they were just affairs. When I met cheese – REAL cheese – it was true love. Mahoe Very Old Edam is a very, very good lover. Not the kinky kind, but firm and fruity, with those crunchy bits. Yeah, you know, THOSE crunchy bits, the ones that contribute to temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour. The crack cocaine of New Zealand cheese, needless to say it’s addictive and intoxicating stuff with a mild, sweet and nutty flavour and a semi-firm texture that melts in the mouth, made from the milk of the happiest of cows grazing on grass in Oromahoe in the winterless North. I have tried in vain for years to invite Mahoe cheesemakers Jake and Jesse to leave their farm paradise to attend various cheese events. I always knew the answer would be no, but I worked on the basis that maybe I’d get them at a weak moment. I did however get rather plonked with Jake and his dad, Bob, at the cheese awards and they appointed me their lucky charm. Not that they need it. For three years in a row Mahoe Very Old Edam took out the champion artisan cheese award, and Jake was twice named the champion cheesemaker. Unlike the booze, the awards don’t go to their heads. I feel very grateful to have been a small cog contributing to one of NZ’s most esteemed and respected and humble cheesemaking traditions. They won’t attend your cheese party, but Very Old Edam will make the party memorable in more ways than one.
CALUM HODGSON – THE CURD NERD

Calum Hodgson is cheesemonger at Massimo’s instagram.com/nz_curd_nerd.