Puhoi Valley Champion of Champions Cheese Award, Boutique The Drunken Nanny Black Tie Petit

“It's the second year that it’s taken a major award….. It’s clean and fresh….and there’s no doubt in mind my it deserves this award.” NZ Champions of Cheese 2021 Master Judge, Jason Tarrant.

For the past six years Amanda and Lindsey Goodman have been hand-selecting, breeding, raising and milking a herd of dairy goats for The Drunken Nanny cheeses. A true farmhouse operation they milk around 100 goats on their family farm, just south of Martinborough, before they make cheese onsite each day.

Since starting their business in 2015 the couple have been regular New Zealand Champions of Cheese winners. In the New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards 2021 they were named Puhoi Valley Cheese, Champion of Champions Boutique winner as well as Good George Brewing Champion Goat Cheese; both awards for The Drunken Nanny Black Tie Petite.

Amanda says the recognition is ‘absolutely empowering’.

“It keeps us going. Sometimes you can become isolated, just doing the day to day and you forget the end picture which is people enjoying your cheese.”

According to Amanda the secret to their success is due to a couple of things – the quality of their milk thanks to Wairarapa’s beautiful, lush green grass and the fact that immediately after Lindsey has milked the goats the fresh milk is immediately pumped through the wall for her to make their fresh cheeses.

Success comes with hard work. The herd must be milked seven days a week and then there’s cheese to be made. When the Goodman’s aren’t milking or cheesemaking the couple are turning, wrapping and packing cheese, organising couriers, issuing invoices, liaising with chefs and retail customers, making sales and so it goes on.

Even when the goats stop milking through the toughest winter months there is plenty to be done in preparation for the fresh goat cheese season which runs from around August through to sometime in May each year.

Black Tie is inspired by a tradition French method of cheesemaking, where the soft, lush goat’s cheese is rolled in grape ask. The Drunken Nanny Black Tie Petite is a stunning pyramid-shape finished with a hand sprinkled coating of black ash, from imported French burnt grape vines. The Drunken Nanny Black Tie Petite offers blends acidity and fresh tangy creaminess. A true seasonal cheese The Drunken Nanny Black Tie Cheese is available while the goats are milking from spring through until autumn.

As well as the joy which comes from winning awards, Amanda loves witnessing the rare occasions when Lindsey gets to stop and sit down for long enough to watch sport on TV and savour a tub of fresh Drunken Nanny cheese with rice crackers.

Amanda makes use of their fresh cheese much more regularly, calling Drunken Nanny Fresh Lush a ‘life saver’. “It’s my weapon in the kitchen, you can throw it on top of a frittata or add it to pasta and suddenly you have a wonderful, flavoured dish. It’s also perfect in a toasted sandwich, taking it from ordinary to delicious.”

The Drunken Nanny fresh goats cheeses are widely available throughout New Zealand from spring to autumn, to find the full list of outlets visit thedrunkennanny.co.nz