For This Goats Cheese I Killa Da Bull!

Contact Info

Their Website
42 Lancaster Avenue, Craighall Park
           

If there’s one thing I inherited from my mother it’s a deep and passionate love for cheese. Unlike me, my mother wasn’t a very big foodie, but there was one thing she absolutely couldn’t resist and that was a good piece of cheese. She was the only person I knew who would literally lose her mind when she saw the cheese spread on a buffet table. Growing up my mom and I would always snack on cheese together – not bread and cheese or biscuits and cheese, no, just cheese all by its glorious self. To this day I’m a little bit obsessed with finding epic cheeses so you can imagine that I was unbelievably excited when I discovered Pepe Charlot in Craighall Park – it’s like heaven for cheese lovers

The little artisanal cheesery produces unpasteurised semi-soft matured goats cheeses that are nothing short of perfect. I got to go through for a cheese tasting last week and I fell in love with everything they produce. It’s so good I’m thinking of asking them if I can move in and take up the position of professional cheese sampler – it would be a tough job but I’m up for the challenge. The cheese is lovingly made by Frenchman Gerald Tanesse and the business is named after his grandfather Charles who instilled in him his love for cheese. 

All the milk to make the heavenly cheese is sourced from an organic goat farm in Pretoria and what I love most is that no preservatives are added, and the recipes are simple and non-intrusive – which means the curd is not cooked and no flavours, herbs or garnishes are added to the final product. Gerald is a cheese purist and doesn’t believe you need to add all sorts of flavours and additional ingredients to make the cheese better, because it’s just so darn good on its own.

Pepe Charlot produces five different types of goats cheese namely the Buche Affinee or Chevrin (a semi soft table and cooking cheese – R350 per kg); Pepe (a deliciously fresh and creamy table cheese – R350 per kg); Valencay or Pyramid (a semi-soft table cheese which is perfect when paired with wine – R350 per kg); Crotin (a semi-soft cheese with a very distinctive taste - perfect for crumbling on a salad or melted on pasta – R350 per kg); and Cabecou (very similar to cottage cheese and the perfect introduction to goat cheese – R290 per kg).

While I would love to say I loved all the cheeses equally I did have a favourite – the Chevrin was out of this world delicious! I got to take a piece home with me and have been munching on it non-stop all week. Alas, I’ve almost run out so I’ll need to make a trip back for a new stash quite soon. Pepe Charlot cheese is available directly from the factory in Craighall Park (by appointment only) but you can also find it at Cheese Gourmet in Linden; Service Station in Melville and Elbows up in Randpark Ridge.

If you'd like to book a tasting session with Pepe Charlot visit Gift Out The Box and purchase a Gift For Her box at R249 - the voucher includes a tasting for two people. 




by Crystal

Your comments...

 
24 January 2014 at 02:17 pm
Hazel Schreiber Please let me know when future courses are being held. Thank you.
7 August 2013 at 03:42 pm
gen I am a huge cheese fan! I can't wait to check this place out! Thanks for the info x
 

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