Overview
A fan of crumbling fresh feta, dotting your pizza with stretchy mozzarella or slathering a cracker in a truffle brie? These days you're absolutely spoilt for choice with artisan cheese shops and plain ol' supermarkets around the country selling cheese ranges big enough to make your lactose-intolerant friends wince.
The country's top cheese stores have just been crowned to mark the end of New Zealand Cheese Month, giving us the perfect excuse to have a little at-home cheese platter for one.
Hosted by New Zealand Speciality Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) for the third year, judging criteria includes the quality of a shop's cheese display, the shopping environment and (most importantly) the number of regular tastings.
Basically, the award criteria encompass everything you could possibly need when it's only an hour until your guests arrive and you're frantically putting together a snack lineup that ticks all the boxes.
This year four new outlets joined the ranks of the top stores, meaning there are now 18 spots around the country where you're "guaranteed an outstanding experience" buying locally made good stuff.
While Auckland has the highest number of winners — including multiple features from local grocery chain Farro and of course, Mount Eden fine foods store Sabato — the awards are nationwide so you can put together a map of stores to hit on your roadie down the country this summer.
NEW ZEALAND'S TOP CHEESE STORES ACROSS THE COUNTRY:
Auckland
Farro, Grey Lynn
Farro, Lunn Ave (Mt Wellington)
Farro, North Store
Sabato, Mt Eden
Waikato
Over the Moon Dairy, Putaruru
Over the Moon Deli, Cambridge
Bay of Plenty
Te Puna Deli, Tauranga
FreshChoice Pāpāmoa, Tauranga
Hawke's Bay
Hōhepa, Clive
New World Hastings
Wairarapa
C'est Cheese, Featherston
Wellington
Moore Wilson's, Tory Street
Nelson
The Junction Shop, Appleby
Christchurch
Barrys Bay Cheese, Akaroa
Charing Cross Cheesery, Riverside Market
FreshChoice Merivale
South Canterbury
Geraldine Cheese Co
North Otago
Whitestone Cheese, Oamaru