The Drunken Nanny Wins Cheese Awards Success

Walking over the dry paddocks of her farm with Amanda Goodman and watching her recognise and name each goat as she pets them under the chin or scratches their heads, it is obvious how much the Goodmans’ recent venture into producing goats’ cheese means to her. From start to finish, this is a hands-on business. “Every goat has a name, and they are all hand reared”, Amanda says.

Amanda and her husband Lindsey have only been in the business for three months, following a lengthy period of research, study and learning, but already they have been recognised by their peers. At the recent 2016 NZ Champions of Cheese Awards, The Drunken Nanny brand won four awards; three silvers and a bronze for their feta, camembert and washed rind cheeses. Those are highly impressive results for a fledgling business and encouraging for next season’s expansion plans. “It was our big thrill for this first season”, Amanda says with her infectious laugh.

Amanda says that moving into goats’ cheese began partly from a love of cheese, a pet goat and a herd that grew. “We’ve always loved that cheese and a drink on a Friday night”, says Amanda. It was also, however, a deliberate move to diversify their farm and introduce a second income stream. The idea started slowly and it has taken tenacity and perseverance to achieve, but the rewards are now beginning to be realised.

The demanding MPI (Ministry for Primary Industry) regulations meant that it took a year of study and research to reach the starting gate. Amanda explains that “the information wasn’t very easy to obtain and it was hard to piece together, but you need to get your head around it if you’re going to embark on something like this”.
Only once the regulation side of the enterprise had been sorted did Amanda and Lindsey begin to acquire equipment and to learn the fine art of cheese making. It started at home with “pots and pans in our own kitchen”, and then on to courses at the NZ Cheese School in Putaruru.

Amanda and Lindsey are justly proud of their “paddock to plate” approach, with Lindsey milking the goats daily and the milk being taken directly to the chiller and on to the cheese room, all within a few metres. As Amanda says, “people want to know where their food comes from these days and we do every step in the process right here”.
The Goodmans have been delighted with the interest they have so far enjoyed from the hospitality industry, and are confident that this is partly because of their commitment to “as fresh as you can get” products. Personal deliveries are made to the Wellington restaurant trade every Thursday and Amanda says proudly that “it’s straight there in 80 minutes, so there’s minimum time between production and delivery”.

This season the Goodmans have milked 25 goats and expect to triple this for next year. They are also experimenting with different varieties of cheese. “We’re passionate about what we’re doing”, says Amanda, “and really looking forward to next season with higher production and more varieties”.

From Amanda’s research, it appears that goats not only cope but in fact thrive on dry land. “You get beautiful flavours on dry land,” says Amanda, “and it seems to go with wine and olives”. That brings us to the Drunken Nanny name, but that’s another story….