Cheese : What brand/s do you prefer to buy?

To continue on my " road mapping " of consumer buying habits I would really appreciate if my fellow forum members could let me know what brand/s of cheese they are purchasing. If you make your own please let me know ./

I buy Bega Strong & Tasty Vintage

5 Likes

We buy lots of brands and types. to list a few

Lemnos Full fat Fetta

King Island Brie

Camembert (any brand at the right price and taste)

Aldi 1 kg Tasty Block (both types)

Edam (again right price and flavour no particular brand)

Gouda (as above for Edam)

and the list goes on :slight_smile:

5 Likes

I think it would be an understatement Graham to say you really like your cheese . Great list .

4 Likes

We buy the 1kg blocks of Tasty as our staple.

Then it’s a matter of what is cheap enough, that is available down in the low $20s/kg (usually only on markdown/discount). Brie is a favourite, Aldi’s Grana padano, Blue vein cheese, Edam, Camembert, any of the stinky cheeses, etc…

3 Likes

Fromager d’Affinois, Ashgrove (cheddar varieties and blue), Mainland (Epicure cheddar), Tarago (Shadows of Blue), Cracker Barrel (reserve cheddar), King Island (various), Costco (pecorino), Perfect Italiano (romano) and Coles (colby and extra tasty). FWIW Aldi sells Ashgrove under their house label for $1 per pack less than Woolies, and their other cheeses have generally been very good - just that we are not regular Aldi shoppers.

4 Likes

Due to our severely limited budget - the cheapest - usually Black & Gold Tasty cheddar 1kg $8, B&G sliced cheddar (plastic wrapped and bland, but cheap and husband likes it), or any branded on special at or below that. Presently have Coon Colby and Tasty Cheddar $7.50/kg ea on sale. Have had Ricotta, Cream Cheese (B&G), Brie (near useby - couldn’t afford Cranberry, so the accompaniment was my home made jam). I make yoghurt, soft cheeses and hard cheeses like Halumi from cheap UHT milk $0.79/litre (special) with cultures from a cheese maker. A lot of mucking around for a less than ideal hard cheese, but the soft & yoghurts are worth it for the savings. We don’t shop at Coles, Woolies or Aldi. We use IGA, Foodworks and an independent “Food Warehouse” for bulk shop. Christmas is where we indulge in gourmet cheeses - everyone else’s!

4 Likes

Some years ago we had a security contract at a major dairy product producer in Laverton , Victoria . It is surprising the number of home brand cheeses like Black & Gold where you pay $8 a KG are exactly the same as well known branded cheeses where you pay $15 - $18 for…/

Things have changed there now . I believe Coles/Myers brought into the concern .

3 Likes
  • Bega and Mainland for big blocks - sometimes Devondale
  • Mil-Lel for Parmesan (pre shredded is cheaper than blocks for the same weight oddly - maybe they use non-standard blocks/fragments)
  • Mersey Valley has some vintage that matches you bite for bite (it bites back) - and peppercorn.
  • Use to buy Riverina Dairy 2kg Fetta in a bucket, but Woolies no longer stock so get South Cape Fetta 1kg tub
  • B-D Farm Paris Creek - anything I can get, Nuage Blanc at room temperature is divine - these guys know dairy, Biodynamic in the true Rudolf Steiner sense … ahem … back to the list …
  • We have cheese and nibbles often - depending on the mood any couple of King Island Camembert, Jarlsberg, Blue or While Castello, Gouda, Red Leicester, Edam - Parmesan in slices or chunks (Mil-Lel) - couldn’t tell you the brand of many of these, I know the ones I like and just grab them. Sometimes a goat or sheep cheese - feta etc. Pretty much anything blue - the bluer the better.
  • Our local butcher gets cheeses up from Adelaide (markets I’d reckon) and has an amazing assortment of cheeses from overseas, some look barely safe to eat but taste amazing - white hairy cheese, another that looks like it is filled with caramel syrup but doesn’t taste like it.

… and I never go to the Central Market in Adelaide - evil place - cost me a fortune last time in cheese and smallgoods !! :slight_smile:

Obligatory Cheese Shop sketch reference …

5 Likes

Thanks for the Monty Python link . Very funny . The Biggus scene from "The Life of Brian " would have to be my favourite scene though . :smiling_imp:

4 Likes

We buy mostly Nimbin Natural (recently changed to, I think, North Coast Natural or Norco Natural) but none on the shelf in Woolies last time my wife looked, and Devondale mozarella (also not on the shelf last week). Also occasionally some Bega tasty. Also feta locally made or from a couple of different Tasmanian companies, organic if available. Australian Haloumi (packed for Woolies brand) sometimes, and I did make it myself once too. I also occasionally make mozarella, which I call as moozarella to avoid trademark infringements :wink:
However, despite the home made cheese being good, milk (only the locally produced milk is reliably good enough, as it doesn’t contain any processed/long life component) is too expensive to make it worthwhile.

5 Likes

Thanks for the informative post Gordon .

2 Likes

Yep, Nimbin Natural recently changed to Norco Natural… unsure why but it’s the best cheese I’ve found for the perfect nachos grill. King Island Smoked cheddar for crackers. Mersey Valley classic sharp and crumbly (also for crackers). Jarlsberg original wedge for sandwiches. Then a selection of local cheeses to throw in the mix and as many goats cheeses as I can find :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Thanks for the input @maxim

2 Likes

Don’t have any loyality in relation to brands and have tried most as long as they are Australian and are very tasty/vintage or strong (inc. gorgonzola style, white and blue veins, etc). The stronger and taster the better.

Every day cheese is usually an aged cheddar.

Never buy processed cheese (do they still sell it?) or any relatively flavourless cheeses (with exception of a good mozzarella when making pizzas as other toppings add the necessary flavours)

4 Likes

phbriggs2000 Thanks very much for your input . Much appreciated

2 Likes

I’m going to have try this - I’m mildly obsessed with homemade nachos and sometimes the cheesy grill isn’t quite right and ruins the whole vibe of the nachos!

I’m a deli cheese fan and would generally rather have smaller amounts, less often, of better quality. We’re lucky having our offices here in Marrickville, Paesanella is just down the road and they have amazing Aussie and imported cheeses. Depends how much you want to indulge though (and how the bank balance is looking!) :cheese:

4 Likes

[quote=“TillySouth, post:16, topic:14809”]

[/quote] Made me hungry just reading that post .

1 Like

Me too! :drooling_face:

3 Likes

As a vegetarian, I always check the labels to make sure the cheese is made with non animal rennet. Animal rennet comes from the stomachs of calves :frowning:
Vintage Bega
Castello creamy blue
In my fridge at the moment

3 Likes

Depends on where I am and if there’s something special coming up. Mersey Valley for cheese on toast; Ashgrove for most cheddars - Red Rubicon, Double Gloucester, Lancashire etc; King Island Dairy for blues and bries, whichever parmesan the local deli has - usually buy half a kilo at a time, find it difficult to find worthwhile pecorino - often they are flavoured ; my husband makes his own ricotta, supermarket mascarpone as I can’t find it at local delis.

3 Likes