More Medals for Martinborough

A few years back Amanda and Lindsey Goodman bought two goats to provide milk for their children, who were lactose-intolerant.   Now that’s grown to a herd of 250 on their farm south of Martinborough, where they produce Drunken Nanny milk and cheese.  If you are a fan you won’t be surprised to hear they’ve just won five medals at the 2020 New Zealand Specialist Cheese Association Awards.  They also won the Supreme Champion’s Award in the Boutique Cheese Producers section.

  Amanda says, “In the past these awards were dominated by Fonterra but new categories that recognise different style and size of operation have made it easier for producers like us whose goats live and are milked on the property and where the cheese is made in-house.  It is great to see goat cheeses are winning more and more prizes these days.” 

Drunken Nanny’s best seller is Lemony Lush which is flavoured with local Olivo lemon- infused oil.   However it was their Black Tie cheese that was most highly rated by the competition judges.  Black Tie gets its distinctive look from the ash coating made from burnt grape vines especially imported from France.  

I mentioned to Amanda that I’d always avoided eating chevre (goat cheese) because of the strong flavour but that Lemony Lush had made me a convert.   She explained their cheeses are a soft, fresh style that hits the shops within days of being made. This keeps the flavour light and sweet compared with stronger tasting aged varieties.

Unfortunately COVID19 has had an impact on Drunken Nanny as it has on so many other businesses.   “We had difficulty accessing some of the supplies we needed and maintaining distribution of our perishable product.  The restaurant market also took a big hit.  So we have dried off the herd and won’t be back in production until August.”   

That’s bad news for anyone who wants to try these prize-winning cheeses right now but Amanda promises they will be back in the shops as soon as they start milking again.   So keep an eye out for them, displaying their newly awarded medal stickers.

Medals won by Drunken Nanny Ltd:

Sabato Farmhouse Cheese Gold Medal – Black Tie

Sabato Farmhouse Cheese Silver Medal – Dill Lush

Good George Brewing Goat Cheese Silver Medal – Lemony Lush

Sabato Farmhouse Cheese Bronze Medals – Cheeky Camembert,  Fresh Lush