Featherston cheese makes Oz newspaper

Cheesemaker Paul Broughton at C'est Cheese in Featherston.

Australia has been fed a taste of South Wairarapa with the district showcased in a Herald Sun travel write-up that is called Featherston's C'est Cheese "a delicatessen of distinction".

C'est Cheese owner Paul Broughton said he was delighted his shop was mentioned in the Melbourne newspaper because it had an "interesting readership".

"I like it how they talk about Featherston and how it's the beginning of Wairarapa, because often it's overlooked by the other towns," he said.

"That's really pleasing to see."

He said he found out about the article, which wais now on the Herald Sun website, through friends in Perth, but did not remember the travel writer visiting his shop.

"We get a lot of people coming through and we have quite a number of Australian tourists coming in."

Mr Broughton said his business now had a regular client base and it had been receiving "a lot of really good local support".

"We're into the quiet period of the year but compared to this time last year we're doing well."

Mr Broughton said he had not had time to further develop his own cheese selection because the shop had been so busy.

But during winter, when the shop could be run with just one person, he would be able to get back into trialling and refining his recipes.

"We're a way away yet, we're still getting the product right."

Mr Broughton said he was "slowly perfecting" three cheeses, using organic milk from the district. "We're taking our time, we're not rushing it."

He would use quieter business months to finish his cheese-making factory, doing the building work himself.

His "top-notch fit-out" included cheese-making facilities but he still had work to do on the maturing rooms and cold storage. "So in the next few months we're hoping to get it finished off."

At this stage Mr Broughton was able to give out samples of his product to receive feedback, but he said a lot of paperwork would need to be done before he could start selling it.

C'est Cheese is open seven days a week and on Fridays has a late night until 7.