A CHAT WITH KRISTEN ALLAN
With Kristen Allan’s much anticipated cheesemaking workshop in the calendar, we felt curiosity call to discover a little more about her cheesemaking journey. Kristen has recently relocated from Sydney to the Highlands of Scotland, with a wealth of adventure and creativity. We feel honoured to have found a moment to dig a bit more into her story.
So, take a moment to read Kristen’s words below. We hope if will fill you with inspiration to start your own cheese making practice, maybe with Kristen herself at her workshop on Friday 23rd May.
The Australian food scene is incredibly vibrant and something you are very much a part of. Could you talk more about what makes the Australian dining and produce scene so unique?
Australia’s culinary scene is definitely shaped by our diverse multicultural influences and thanks to the climate, we have access to exceptional seasonal produce and seafood. Alongside strong European and South east Asian influences, there is a growing appreciation for our Indigenous culture, with many chefs now embracing and giving traditional native foods the recognition they deserve.
Do you have any dream collaborations you would like to do ? If so, who would this be with and what would you do ?
I’d love to work with William Rhys Hamer who is the chef behind Wild Kabn Kitchen, here in Scotland. I’m inspired by what he does connecting food, fire and nature. I’d really love to do some cheese making outdoors, over fire using foraged Scottish ingredients.
Also, I’m excited to work with Craig Grozier from Fallachan kitchen this month and I’m looking forward to working closely with Mossgiel Farm, which is where I get all the beautiful milk and cream. I’d love to do a series of workshops with them on their farm.
I also have a few other dreamy collaborations coming up with Wildland and the Boath House, watch this space!
Can you describe a moment in your culinary career that made you think ‘yeah - this is what it’s all about’ ?
I’m really fortunate to have had many highlights in my career but honestly every time, at the end of a workshop, when someone turns to me with a big smile on their face and they say to me ‘yeah I can do this at home’. Or when I receive one of the many photos people take of the cheese and the delicious cheesy meals they make themselves at home - well, that gives me goosebumps. I truly hope there’s a beautiful ripple effect from the workshops I teach, where people pass down these recipes to their family and friends. This is what it’s all about for me.
How would you like to feed into the Scottish Culinary scene?
As well as all of the collaborations I mentioned above, I’m really keen to work with more chefs and help them develop in-house dairy programs and help them produce some unique Scottish cheeses, using all local ingredients like seaweed and spruce etc.
But primarily by continuing to teach my workshops over here and collaborating with interesting and inspiring people like Guardswell Farm. My passion has always been to share the art of cheese making with the world and I want to teach people that anyone can make cheese. After all cheese making began in the home!
I’ve always believed, wholeheartedly, in the power of shared knowledge and stories and I want to create an experience for people that not only captures the art and romance of cheese but also, is about rediscovering the simple joy of slowing down. The workshops incorporate everything I’m passionate about: cheese making, home cooking using cheese and the best seasonal produce and bringing people together around a table for a delicious meal.
Most people who come to a class are quite nervous and shy to start off with and then by the end of the day, everyone’s become friends and they can’t wait to go home and share the cheese with their friends and family. I love watching this transformation and their enthusiasm!
What are you reading / listening to at the moment ?
I’m reading a lot of Nigel Slater at the moment. I’m pushing myself to write more this year and he is such a beautiful writer and inspiration.
Who or what inspires you ?
The landscape here in Scotland. It’s why I’m here. I know most people think I’m crazy because I left the warmth of Australia to live here, but the landscape is something else. I’ve recently moved to the Highlands, so I can get out in the hills and walk everyday.
What is your favourite cheese to make in your classes (and why) ?
Stretched curd cheeses. As well as being such a fun class for everyone, it’s wonderful to observe the transformation of milk into a curd that will stretch for miles and turn into something delicious like mozzarella and burrata. I’ve always been tempted to turn this class into a yoga / cheese making/ cooking class extravaganza called ‘Stretch’. Perhaps one day at Guardswell Farm?
What is the most adventurous cheese you have made (and why) ?
During Covid, (after many years of buttering up the right people!) I was given the opportunity to make cheese and mature it in the cellars of one of Sydney’s oldest estates, Vaucluse House.
Because the house was shut to the general public, due to the lockdown, I was given free rein in the cellars to experiment and make as much cheese as I wanted for 3 months and get paid to do so. A dream come true!!
The aim of the project was to experiment and document how the natural climate of cellars would affect the maturation of the cheese, rather than maturing cheese in a controlled and sanitised environment. I ended up making around 8 different cheeses, some were edible and some, well, were just a crazy experiment of what can go wrong.
It was fun nevertheless and somewhere, in the NSW government’s Museums of History archives, there’s possibly some entertaining footage of a crazy cheesemaker in an underground cellar with her funky cheese, slowly growing all sort of wild moulds.
If someone wants to start their cheesemaking journey - where should they start ?
Cheese is all about milk so I believe you need to start here, at the very beginning, by learning about milk and how various influences impact the quality. Then learn how to make some of the basic dairy products like butter, yoghurt and ricotta. And gradually incorporate some other fresh cheeses into your repertoire until you understand the basic cheese making process.
And of course, come learn the art of cheese making at workshop with me!
If you would like to involved with Kristen’s Burrata, Mozzarella and Stracciatella Workshop with a Guardswell Farm tour and lunch on Friday 23rd May - Get tickets and find out more here.
