Kook bewust

Meester-Affineurs, taste the time!

Meester-Affineurs is a young company that specialises in producing, refining and ripening organic raw-milk cheeses. Meester-Affineurs works sustainably and closely with livestock farmers and artisanal cheesemakers in the Gelderse Vallei. A special recipe and concept produce cheeses with a beautiful natural rind. This is unique on the Dutch cheese market. The rich flavour comes from the cheese cultures used, the ripening time and rest. Meester-Affineurs cheeses are an Erkend Streekproduct (recognised regional product). This label is only awarded to products that add value to the region and, of course, have a guaranteed regional origin.

How is cheese made?

The Meester-Affineurs method is quite special. Chilled evening milk and still-warm morning milk are used to guarantee freshness. This creates a premium milk, because the fat and protein content differs between evening and morning milk. The fresh raw milk is processed in the artisanal cheese dairy. Specific micro-organisms are added to the milk before it acidifies. After acidification, the milk is curdled with rennet. The rennet separates the curd (solid) from the whey (liquid). After acidifying and curdling, the curd is washed. The whey is not thrown away, but used for the young cattle. Once the whey has been separated from the curd, the curd is placed in cloths in cheese moulds. The cheese is then given a first light pressing.

Washing the cheese

During the second light pressing, the Meester-Affineurs signature is added. The cheese is then given a short brine bath before going to the ripening centre. The brine bath is on average 25% shorter than usual, which makes Meester-Affineurs cheese less salty. When it arrives at the ripening centre, the cheese is still pure white. There, it is washed with a special recipe of cheese cultures. After the first wash, each cheese gets its own board to ripen on.

The boards are made from specially selected wood, so that a unique biotope of cultures develops on them. For the cultures to work optimally, the cheese is washed every other day with the same cultures. The cheeses are carefully turned and inspected. After a while, washing becomes less frequent. This gives the cheese the time and rest to develop cultures of its own, which is important for forming the natural rind.

Kookbewust Meester Affineurs Montbeliarde koe

The Montbéliarde cow

The Montbéliarde breed came about by combining several local breeds, with the red and white breed having the greatest influence. The cattle originally come from the Jura, a mountainous area in eastern France close to the Swiss border. In France, the Montbéliarde has been bred specifically for milk. The breed comes from a harsh mountain environment and therefore copes easily with different conditions.

Kookbewust Meester Affineurs Blaarkop beeld

The Blaarkop cow

The Blaarkop is an old cattle breed that was already described in the late Middle Ages. The cow has traditionally been found in Groningen, the Rijnstreek and the Gelderse Vallei. A Blaarkop is solid black or red with a white head and a white tail tip. The cow owes its name to the black or red patch around its eyes, known as a ‘blaar’. An extremely strong breed with sturdy legs, good fertility and easy calving.

Kookbewust Meester Affineurs maas rijn koe beeld

Meuse-Rhine-IJssel cattle

Meuse-Rhine-IJssel cattle (MRIJ) take their name from the area where the breed was developed: partly the IJssel area in Overijssel and Gelderland and partly the Meuse and Rhine area in North Brabant. MRIJ cows are red pied and mostly white. MRIJ is known as hardy, strong(ly built) and self-reliant. Their temperament is balanced, calm and docile. The MRIJ is a dual-purpose breed, suitable for both milk and meat production.

The Saanen goat

The Saanen goat is a breed from the Saanen valley in Switzerland. It is named after the river Saane. In the nineteenth century, breeders wanted to develop a strong dairy goat with short, white hair. This breeding policy proved a success and the Saanen goat was soon exported to other countries. Saanen goats are regarded as the best dairy goats in the world. They give between three and five litres of milk a day.