In 2014, Little Farm Goat Dairy became the realisation of a long-time dream. For the previous fourteen years, Andrea Gauland had been developing her cheesemaking skills through trial, error, voracious reading, and a love of all things cheese-y. Her family and friends had been the only ones allowed to enjoy her delicious efforts. Due to a combination of fortuitous circumstances, encouragement from friends and family, and perhaps more than a dash of insanity, Little Farm Goat Dairy was born, allowing Andrea to share her work with the wider community.
Cheese is an alchemy of milk, rennet and culture, time and temperature. Through the art of the cheesemaker, the same ingredients can become many different flavours, textures and even colours, to tantalise the senses and delight the palate. At Little Farm Goat Dairy, we tend and milk the goats, and make the cheese, giving us control over every aspect from beginning to end.
Andrea has been breeding goats and making cheese since 2000, focusing on the Toggenburg dairy goat for the last 20 years, on the small family farm in Canterbury, with her husband Mike and son Aidan. The Toggenburg, a Swiss breed, is the oldest recognised dairy breed in the world, first recorded in 1890.
Te Hua Farm, home of Little Farm Goat Dairy, is located on the Canterbury Plains, at the foot of the Torlesse Range of the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Here we milk a small herd, and process 30-45 litres of milk each day, every day, in small, hand-made batches. Kids are largely reared with their dams, and from about a month old, they area separated overnight. The does are milked first thing in the morning, and rejoin their kids until the evening.
We attend the weekly farmers markets in Lyttelton and Amberley, as well as have a small farm shop which is open every Sunday from November through to April, weather permitting. We supply several restaurants and wineries in the area, and host private farm tours, cheesemaking classes and special cheese-tasting events.
Among our selection, you will find the classic French chèvre, in Traditional style, as well as our popular flavours of Garlic & Chive, Dill/Garlic/Black Pepper, as well as the 'dessert' flavours of Fig & Honey and Berry Rose, which we like to call a 'cheesecake without a crust'. Andrea also brings out a variety of fruit and nut combinations at the holidays.
Mould-ripened cheese, such as the familiar brie, forms a natural 'crust' on the outside as it ripens. As a very young cheese, it is a firm, fudgy and mild version of itself. As it ripens, it softens from the outside inwards, and the flavours become more pungent. It suits many tastebuds, as it can be paired with different foods as it matures.
Ours are of course French-inspired. They are each named for a member of our goat herd. There is 'Kamana', a goat milk Camembert-style cheese. It has earthy, mushroom notes and develops a delicate fruitiness as it ages and softens to a succulent ooze. There will soon be a saffron version of this cheese available, using saffron threads from a local grower in our little corner of Canterbury. Kamana is perfect for baking, with nuts and honey or perserves. Apricot and walnuts is our favourite combination.
'Zara' is Andrea's own creation, pairing the cheese with locally wild foraged porcini mushrooms, collected by certified forager Peter Langlands. This funky-looking triangle of cheese hides a line of dried porcini, that shines through every bit. Zara is wonderful on sourdough toast with avocado mash and roasted garlic.
'Topaz' is a surface-blue cheese, described as a 'gateway blue' by our friend Karina. The roquefort flavour goes through the cheese, but will only appear on the surface of this dense and creamy cheese. Topaz is lovely on a rib-eye steak, right off the grill.
'Tasha' is an ash-rinded cheese, which completely changes the way the rind develops and how the cheese ripens. Tasha is a faster-ripening cheese due to the ash, starting with a very dense and fudgy texture, with a sharp and almost buttery flavour. It pairs with all kinds of fruits through the seasons. Our favourite combination is fresh strawberries!
'Ellie' is our most popular mould-ripened cheese, with a wrinkly, crinkly rind that hides a mild, creamy cheese with a faint citrus notes. Ellie is great on a robust seed cracker, or a toasted ciabatta with a crisp heirloom cherry tomato.
Our Yoghurt is Greek-style, thick and tart. There isn't much it doesn't go with! Our Labneh is seasoned with garlic and a mix of Italian herbs, and a smidge of salt. It's a great dip for raw veggies, or spread on your sandwich bread.
Our farm will be open for visits again in November. In the meantime, you can see recent photos of the goats on our Facebook page. Or stop in at either the Amberley Farmers Market or the Lyttelton Farmers Market, where we rarely miss a Saturday. We also supply a small range of chèvre, as well as our yoghurt and labneh, to Piko Whole Foods, at the corner of Kilmore and Barbadoes, in Christchurch. You can check our our cheese on menu items at Arbour Bar in Lyttelton (best wood-fired pizza around!). You can also find it at Black Estate Winery and Greystone Winery menu items, in the beautiful Waipara Valley, north of Christchurch. Or check out Georges Road Winery, also in Waipara, where you can purchase a variety of local cheeses to go with your vineyard picnic.
Andrea is available for cheesemaking classes, cheese-themed team-building sessions for small groups, and talks about cheese and goats. Additionally, you can book for special cheese tasting sessions as well as Farm Tours. Farm Tours are held Sundays, weather-permitting, from the first Sunday in November to the last Sunday in April.
