By Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon, Straight To The Source
In Straight To The Source’s column for ClubTIC, food experts Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon look at produce that can be a point of difference on club menus.
We have taken many chefs on educational tours to Meredith Dairy over the years and the more we learn about this Australian farming family and their award-winning products, the more we fall in love with them.
Meredith Dairy began in 1991 when Sandy and Julie Cameron decided to try something new on their farm in Central Western Victoria.
“In 1991, traditional farming was in turmoil and the price of wool and farming commodities became uncertain,” Julie says. “To survive on the land we needed to be innovative and add value to our farm produce. We love food, so we decided to milk sheep, then goats, to make cheese and yoghurts.”
Thirty years later, Meredith Dairy is the largest farm of its kind in Australia.
Sandy says: “Our sheep and goats are healthy, well-fed and well-nurtured; this is the key to incredible milk. Our products are made every day in our on-farm factory, using the morning milk.”
Meredith Dairy’s Chèvre Original is a simple goat’s cheese made daily with fresh goat milk and seasoned with a pinch of salt. It’s the perfect base ingredient because of its fresh, clean taste and creamy texture.
Meredith Dairy’s Chèvre Original is a simple goat’s cheese made daily with fresh goat milk and seasoned with a pinch of salt. It’s the perfect base ingredient because of its fresh, clean taste and creamy texture.
For clubs, this product stands out as it is available in a 1kg log and its versatility lends itself to dishes from breakfast to dinner.
Meredith Dairy is also one of the very few Australian owned and operated goat dairies that produce goat’s cheese in foodservice-sized packs – which is just one more reason to love them.
Some cool facts about Meredith Dairy Chèvre Original:
- Fresh chèvre has a salt content of less than 2 per cent, meaning it’s perfect for use in any dish, savoury or sweet.
- Texture is firm enough that it can be crumbled in a salad, but it’s also soft enough that it can be whipped into an emulsion.
- The subtle flavour profile comes from its freshness, as it is processed within hours of the goats being milked.
- It was recently awarded Gold at the 2020 Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show for excellence in Goat Cheese Milk, as well as the Australian Cheeseboard Perpetual Trophy for its ongoing success and took home Gold just last week for their dill chevre.
- It’s made on a family-owned farm that uses sustainable farming practices.
You can learn even more by heading over to the Straight To The Source produce directory www.straighttothesource.com.au.
