WHEELS OF FORTUNE
Desiree Stuart let her curiosity run away with her — and she’s never looked back, writes Raphaella Frame-tolmie
Desiree “Des” Stuart is the cheesemaker at Waterkloof Estate in Somerset West, where Healey’s Slow Matured Cheddar is made by hand in limited quantities. Healey’s recently won second place at the 2014 World Champion Cheese competition in the US for its round bandaged, raw-milk cheddar. I started as a factory worker in the cheesery. I knew nothing about cheesemaking and became fascinated by the process. I learnt by watching my first teacher, James Healey, then curiosity got the better of me. I became more and more involved and became somewhat of an apprentice. We receive the milk in the morning at around 9am, then we prepare it by getting it to the right temperature, continually checking it. There are various processes that we follow until the batch is ready for press. I also manage the day-to-day running of the office, placing orders and overseeing the processing of orders. Due to the nature of our product, your day can be as diverse as being a cheese-maker, office manager, cheese-cleaner or even cutter.
My three favourite cheeses are cheddar (of course), gorgonzola and gruyère.
All cheese rind is edible, even wax ones. Some of them don’t taste all that great, but they are edible.
The process of making cheese takes about three days; from there it goes into our maturation rooms for six to 12 months. Cheese lasts six to eight months if you keep it vacuum sealed and refrigerated. Once opened, you have seven days to enjoy the Healey’s. Soft cheeses like cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta should be discarded if mouldy, as well as any cheese that has been sliced, shredded or crumbled. In hard cheeses like cheddar, the mould can’t penetrate too deep, so you can simply cut it off in thin slices.
Healey’s Cheddar is featured on Waterkloof’s winter platter which is available until the end of October for R130 per person. There is also a sensory cheese and wine tasting for R80 per person, which includes six estate wines. Healey’s Slow Matured Cheddar can be bought at Waterkloof’s tasting lounge (R40 for 200g), or at selected delis, food stores and supermarkets countrywide. www.healeys.co.za