Bruny Island Cheese Co. is owned and operated by Nick Haddow, who after almost 10 years of working with specialist cheese in many different countries around the world, settled on Bruny Island in Southern Tasmania to start making cheese for himself.

"The cheeses I make are very much the product of my travels and training throughout the great cheese producing regions of France, Italy, Spain and the UK. They are the cheeses I love to make and eat. They are also uniquely Tasmanian. I strive to be both an artisan and a traditionalist, who recognises that great cheese was made for centuries before modern technology played a role and I believe passionately in the old way of making and maturing cheese. For me, cheesemaking is a pursuit of integrity, authenticity and flavour."
 

o.d.o
milk: cow type: fresh, marinated in olive oil
    
It stands for One Day Old and that's what it is; a simple, fresh cheese that relies inherently on the quality of our milk to deliver its flavour. Eat it on good bread with olive oil, crumble it through hot pasta or grill it on a pizza. It has a relatively low salt content and a strong lactic acid flavour. ODO is marinated in olive oil with fresh garlic, roasted red capsicum and herbs.

  

otto
milk: cow type:
fresh, wrapped in procuitto
   
This cheese celebrates two of Italy's most ancient of gastronomic cornerstones - cheese and cured pork. It is a simple fresh cheese wrapped in locally made Prosciutto. It is meant to be cooked first before eating. After baking in a hot oven for 15 minutes, serve with a simple salad and a glass of local wine.


   

saint
milk: cow type: soft, white mould
    
In the central plateau of France there are a number of cheeses that are all named after the local Saints. Like our Saint, they are all surface ripened, soft oozy cheeses with a light bloom on the rind - not a thick carpet of single strain white mould found on more commercial cheeses. This cheese can be eaten younger, when the inside is still firm and the flavour more delicate, or wait until the curd breaks down completely and the flavour gets more pungent.
   

nanna
milk: cow type: semi-hard, herb infused
    
We have wanted to make this cheese for a couple of years but have only just now lined up all our ducks. It is really inspired by a fabulous sheep’s milk cheese from Corsica which is matured in a kind of ‘compost’ made from the local herbs. Our version also has a thick layer of herbs on the rind and has been matured for just shy of a month. The aroma is heady with the herbs and lavender flowers and the flavour is complex with savoury, herby notes.

  
 

1792
milk: cow type: soft, washed rind on huon pine
    
It was the year the French first set foot on Tasmanian soil and this very French, very pungent little cheese, matured on aromatic Huon Pine boards, celebrates what could have been. It is made in the traditional method - its pinky-orange rind the result of being regularly hand-washed in brine, encouraging the surface bacteria that give this cheese its complex flavour and aroma.

 

oen
milk: cow type: soft, pinot-washed in vine leaves
    
OEN (from the word oenology) is a true labour of love; a washed-rind, cow's milk cheese, washed in Pinot Noir before being wrapped in vine leaves to be carefully matured. The vine leaves protect the cheese and create a moist surface which encourages the flavour development. When mature, OEN's rind becomes pungent and the texture becomes soft and fudgey.

 

tom
milk: cow type: hard, natural rind
    
Tom is a simple guy. He is in the tradition of the Tomme cheeses made in the mountainous French Savoie region. He is not complicated by tricky cheese making or complex maturation techniques - a cheese of simple integrity to be left on the table and eaten everyday. On the outside he has a natural grey rind that develops over five months of ageing. On the inside, he is really just great milk. Tom is a fast maturing hard cheese that shows both freshness and developed characteristics. He gets along famously with everyone. Tom likes being rubbed.
 

smoked truckle
milk: cow type: semi-hard, smoked
    
This is the first time I have ever smoked one of my cheeses. Up until now I have been a bit of a snob about smoked cheese but, I’ve got to say, I reckon this is great! It was smoked by our mates at Ashmore Seafood (who know a thing or two about smoking stuff!) and it has a beautiful bronze colour on the rind.


  

raw milk C2
milk: cow type: hard, cooked curd
    
C2 is the sort of cheese found throughout the mountains of France and northern Italy. A classic cooked curd cheese made in traditional wooden hoops. C2 matures for 6 - 12 months, during which time it develops a sweet aroma and a mildly nutty flavour. The rind is wiped every week to encourage the surface bacteria that provide this cheese with much of its robust integrity.