Cheese rises from ashes to become national delight

A Coast cheese company is anxiously waiting to see if its custom creation will win national glory.

Head cheese maker at The Woombye Cheese Company Stefan Wilson with the award-winning ash brie. Photo: John McCutcheon

WOOMBYE Cheese Company bosses are hopeful their award-winning product can take out the top spot of Australia’s best white mould cheese.

The company’s ash brie was announced as an Australian Grand Dairy Award finalist on November 15 after winning a gold medal at the Queensland Dairy Industry Awards in May.

Woombye Cheese Company owner Karen Paynter said the cheese, which was carefully rolled in ash a couple of times during maturation, had been a crowd pleaser since being created 18 months ago.

“It (the ash) makes it more flavoursome than the standard triple crème brie,” Mrs Paynter said.

Woombye Cheese Company's award-winning Ash brie. Picture: contributed

“Wherever we go doing tastings … it always sells out everyone just loves it, it’s just brilliant.”

Woombye Cheese Company head cheese maker Stefan Wilson has been making cheese for 20 years and said he was not expecting the cheese’s success.

“I was a little bit surprised because I wasn’t too sure about the ash brie,” Mr Wilson said.

“I like it now and as I’m learning how to get the recipe right.

“It’s not strange but it’s different, normally I wouldn’t eat anything with ash on it.”

Mrs Paynter’s husband started the successful business in 2013 but sadly passed away in 2015, leaving the business to Mrs Paynter whose sister, Sandra Cadby, started helping.

Mrs Paynter said the product was “pretty special to us” as it was “the first cheese that Sandra and I have created and added to our range since business begun”.

The Australian Grand Dairy Awards began in 1999 and aim to recognise and reward excellence and innovation in Australian dairy produce and acknowledge the achievements of the people who produce the products.

Being one of the company’s “most popular cheeses”, Mrs Paynter said she was hopeful the ash brie would win at the awards ceremony in 2020.

“We think we do have a pretty good chance because we make everything by hand and the previous scores we got from the judges were high so something else is going to have to be pretty good to beat us,” Mrs Paynter said.

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