Medal haul for Drunken Nanny cheese

Amanda Goodman, back left, who developed The Drunken Nanny goats' cheese range, with husband Lindsey Goodman, and their children, Phoebe, 6, Emily, 9, and Sam, 7. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The Drunken Nanny cheese range from Martinborough has captured a haul of national industry medals after only four months on the market.

The brand, which specialises in goats' cheese, placed four times at the 2016 New Zealand Cheese Awards made public last week.

Three silver medals were picked up for the Frisky Feta, Cheeky Camembert and Black Tie fresh cheese, and one bronze was awarded for the Savvy Washed Rind.

Amanda Goodman, the woman behind the cheese, said "dabbling in the kitchen" had quickly turned into a full-time job, having launched the brand in November 2015.

The Drunken Nanny is now available from Pain & Kershaw, Martinborough Wine Merchants, Te Kairanga Farmers Market and Moore Wilsons in Wellington.

The cheese is made 16km south of Martinborough on a sheep and beef farm run by Mrs Goodman and her husband, Lindsey.

She said the cheese venture was a marriage of her passion for goats and good cheese and "was another way to diversify the farm".

"To be honest, the obsession started with the goats -- a couple of pets led to more and more.

"They had babies and the mob grew and we could never get rid of them," Mrs Goodman said.

"It was a natural progression to move into cheese making."

She completed a cheese making course at The New Zealand Cheese School five years ago and has been making it as a hobby ever since.

A commercial cheese room was finished on the couple's farm in August.

Mrs Goodman said her cheese's quick road to success could be down to it being made with the freshest goats' milk, available at her fingertips.

"It goes straight from the milking through to the cheese room so the whole process is done on site."

She said her passion for goats was also shared by her husband and their three children, who have named every goat they have ever owned.

"Goats just have really amazing personalities. They are so much fun to watch, especially the kids -- you could sit there playing with them for ages."

The whole family played a part in the cheese making process.

"It's a great family thing to do," Mrs Goodman said.

"We have a really close bond with all the animals, we know all their little traits and what works best with each one."

Mrs Goodman had received a lot of good feedback.

"We didn't expect it would have the impact and the sudden demand that we have had," she said.

"People seem to really enjoy fresh goats' cheese. A lot of people who haven't tried it before -- people who have maybe been skeptical -- are really surprised to find how amazing it actually is."

Last week Greytown cafe 2 Short Whites came away with the People's Choice Award from the Wairarapa Gate-to-Plate lamb dish competition.

The dressing on the winning dish was made with The Drunken Nanny's Lush Fresh Goats Cheese.

Masterton artisan cheese brand Kingsmeade also placed in the 2016 New Zealand Cheese Awards , walking away with a silver medal for their Sunset Blue and a bronze for their Tinui Blue.