Consumers and cheese fans can look forward to sampling new cheeses soon as premium New Zealand cheese Mainland begins availability from April 2013 onwards.
Just recently launched during the New Zealand Week 2013, 6 variations of Mainland cheeses suitable for cooking and fresh consumption will hit supermarkets shelves next month.
Mainland cheese has a heritage of over 5 decades and is one of New Zealand most premium cheeses. Imagine, only 15% of all the cheese produced in the whole country are accepted as Mainland brand.
BELOW: Fonterra Malaysia Foodservice head Linda Tan, Economic Development Minister Hon Steven Joyce and Mr David Ross, Managing Director of Fonterra Brands (Malaysia) cuts into a block of cheese to officiate the launch of Mainland Cheese in Malaysia.
After speeches and photos, we were treated to Mainland cheeses tasting so we could experience first-hand the flavours of the cheese. I’m a cheese fan and regularly hunts Village Grocers, Mercato and Cold Storage for premium imported cheeses.
After sampling the Mainland cheese, I had to admit that they are pretty good!
The 6 varieties of Mainland cheeses are the widely accepted types such as Gouda, Cheddar and Edam.
One of my personal favourite is the Vintage Cheddar as I prefer sharp and strong cheeses.
I find the Tasty Cheddar great for sandwiches and perfect to pair with meat such as burger patties and sausages.
The weight and health conscious among us has the Tasty Light Cheddar which provides the flavour minus the fat.
One of Mainland’s philosophy is that good things take time, something I wholeheartedly agree with. All of their cheeses are properly aged and matured to develop the desired flavour.
I’m also a fan of Gouda cheeses as they make great snacks. I find this Mainland Gouda is slightly milder than most.
For a variation from the Light Cheddar, this creamy mild Edam is a good substitute as it is 25% less fat.
I would use Colby for my baked potatoes, pizzas and lasagnes. Its easy melt properties could potentially cut down cooking time.
Here’s a little tip on storing cheeses for minimal loss of flavour which I find useful since most gourmet cheeses in the supermarkets are ready wrapped in medium to big blocks. I usually buy 2-3 grades at one time since I love variety but that also means I’ll take a longer time to consume them.
I have always kept them covered in cling wrap and again in plastic containers to keep the moisture out.
Next was a Mainland Cheese cooking demo by Chef Firuz, Fonterra Brands (Malaysia) who creates and develops new recipes for the market. Here’s some recipes to share. I will be grabbing myself some Mainland cheeses to stock up come month and as an alternative to my pizzas and lasagne recipes.
Also, please find below some recipes and the history of Mainland for those of you who would like to find out more about Mainland cheeses.
Fonterra is New Zealand’s largest company and leader in providing top quality dairy nutrition and leading consumer brands under the Fonterra umbrella includes Anmum, Fernleaf, Solivite, Anlene and Chesdale. Anchor and Perfect Italiano form the dairy products under Fonterra and now the latest range is Mainland cheese.
More information from Fonterra’s site : www.fonterrafoodservices.com.my
I wanna taste all of them cheeses! =)
ooh, maybe i’ll try grabbing some of that vintage cheddar for snacking in the office! 😀
Eh good cheeses from NZ!
NX cheeses are generally acceptable. But I find that our supermarkets stocks Aussie ones more