The Fromagerie - Specialist Cheese Shop
Blue Mould Cheese, White Mould Cheese, Cheddars, Washed Rind Cheese, Sheep and Goat's Milk Cheese
Up to 200 wonderful cheeses from around the world can be found in the walk in refrigerated Fromagerie (Cheese Shop).
Specialising in those rare and unusual cheeses that can’t be found on the supermarket shelves, Colin James Fine Foods cuts from the wheel rather than having pre-packaged cheeses.
Blue Mould Cheese
A strain of penicillium is the blue mould used to make these cheeses. The mould will not turn the cheese blue until it is given air to grow in. This is done by piercing the cheese with rods allowing the blue to then grow along the tunnels and into the nooks and crannies between the loose curd eventually producing the shattered porcelain look that typifies blue cheese. Most blue cheeses are normally wrapped in foil to prevent them from drying out. The rind that usually develops on the outside of Blue cheeses varies from a fine bloom to thick and gritty. Stilton, Gorgonzola, Cashel Blue, Rocquefort, Bresse Blue and Valdeon are just some of the wide range of blue you will find at Colin James Fine Foods.
White Mould Cheese
These delightful cheeses range from bries to camemberts to the deliciously decadent triple creams. During production their high moisture content coupled with an atmosphere of high humidity attracts and encourages the growth of the classic white penicillium moulds which help to break down the curd and contribute to the flavour and texture of the cheese. The result is a creamy, smooth, voluptuous interior, that, when perfect, looks as though it is almost ready to run. Colin James Fine Foods stocks a selection of Australian and French white mould cheese including ashed bries and truffle bries.
Chedders
Cheddars are always a favourite with cheese lovers. Colin James Fine Foods has a large range including club cheeses, traditional and flavoured cheddars. The traditional cheddars range from mild ( aged for approximately 3 months) to matured (aged for approximately 12 months) to vintage cheese (aged for 18 to 24 months). Cheddars are set in moulds with some traditional ones being wrapped in cheesecloth before being allowed to mature. A mature to vintage cheddar should be slightly open textured and tends to be crumbly with a reasonably sharp taste. If you’re looking for a cheddar flavoured with lavender, walnuts, sage or garlic and pepper or just a good old fashioned cheddar then you’ll find one on Colin James’ shelves.
Washed Rind Cheese
Wash rind cheeses are treated with a surface culture of bacteria. The bacteria on the rind ripens the curd from the outside towards the centre. This style of cheese is frequently washed with a brine solution 2 or 3 times a week while maturing. Washing with brine helps to control the growth of the bacteria and prevent the cheese from becoming slimy. Washed rind cheeses can vary in texture and taste from the soft and delicious Port Salut to the more robust tasting cheeses such as Taleggio, Red Square, Pont L� Eveque, Kingaroy Red Washed Rind, Woodside Pompeii, Bruny Island 1792 and Munster to the ever popular Morbier, Raclette, Tilset and Gruyiere.
Sheep and Goat's Milk Cheese
An allergy to cow’s milk doesn’t have to mean you can’t eat cheese. Sheep and goat milk cheeses are your best option. For the diet conscious, the milk from these animals has very fine fat globules making it easier for the body to digest. Sheep’s milk is also rich in vitamins and minerals and contains twice as much calcium as cow’s milk. 45% of the fatty acids in sheep milk are monosaturated.
Colin James stocks an impressive range of cheese made from goat and sheep milk. Ranging from chevres to fresh and marinated fettas to soft mould ripened bries, cheddar and gouda styles to blue mould, the range of goat products is wide and varied. Sheep milk cheeses are stocked in haloumis, pecorino, cheddar and gouda styles and soft mould ripened. If you enjoy a cheese with a different flavour why not try some of these delightfully different flavoured Australian and overseas cheeses on your next platter.
Large Range of Cheeses
For the connoisseur, Colin James Fine Foods displays a wide variety of washed rind cheeses ranging from the famous and popular Port Salut to wonderfully full bodied washed rinds such as, Taleggio, l’Edel de Cleron, Pont L’Eveque, Livarot, Epoisses, Petit Munster and Touree De L’Aubier.
For those who are on special diets there is always a wonderful selection of goat and sheep milk cheeses ranging from soft chevres, bries, blues, haloumi and fettas to the harder cheddar style and the matured gouda style cheeses with intriguing names such as Midnight Moon and Lamb Chopper.
Raclette, Tilset, Gruyére or Aged Gruyére are always popular choices for those wishing to experience the wonderful Swiss style cheeses or for someone wanting to experiment with a tasty Fondue for their next dinner party.
A wide range of blue mould cheeses can be found on one of the shelves. The tantalizing unpasteurised sheep’s milk Roquefort is always popular while the French blues, the Italian Gorgonzolas, Irish Cashel Blue and the Stiltons from England are widely sought after.
Looking for the unusual cheeses such as Limburger or the caramelized goat cheeses (Gjetost), then you’ve come to the right place.
Complementing these wonderful cheeses is a wide range of Italian style Salamis, Bunnyconnellen organic olives, figs, balsamic onions, dried cranberries, clementines, muscatels on the vine and anti pasta lines. A visit to our fromagerie will delight any connoisseur.