What a delicious time I had at the Cheesefest this year!  (Sky City Convention Centre 4 March)

My personal favourites were the Houlimi by Gruff Junction (Christchurch).  This beautiful goats cheese is fried up in a pan.  The crisp exterior crunches slightly as you bite into the centre of melted cheese.  Absolutely heavenly.

My other favourite was a vintage Leyden which had amazing cumin flavours, by Karikaas.  I think I was an overstayer at the Karikaas table, where I kept sneaking back with my ‘tasting toothpick’ for more samples.

My Croatian friend from ‘across the ditch’ raved over the “Buffalo Riccota” from the Clevedon Valley Buffalo Company.  I took some home and drizzled honey & blueberries over it, as recommended by the cheesemaker himself, which was greeted with exclamations of ecstacy by my partner of European descent.

A very fine evening.  And an excellent opportunity to sample the delicious Yealands’ Pinot Gris.  Yum (these guys are NZ’s premiere sustainable winery – who use guinea pigs to ‘mow’ their lawns, and other such innovations!)

Anyway, well done to the NZ Specialist Cheesemakers Association for putting on a great event.

And thanks to http://www.freshinthekitchen.co.nz for drawing my attention to the event!!