Paul and Kerry from Nimbin Valley Dairy produce a range of cow and goat milk cheeses on their farm in Nimbin. Coming from a long line of dairy farmers, they’re committed to producing food free from chemicals, hormones and antibiotics.

We asked Paul and Kerry to taste-test our range of semi dried olives and suggest matching cheeses to complement these Northern Rivers delights.

Grumpy Grandma’s Au Naturale Semi Dried Olives

“These would match perfectly with our Nimbin Valley Sweet Goat, a hard goat cheese,” says Paul.

“The sweet, nutty and matured caramel cheese flavour makes it very moreish, just like these olives. Both belong on every cheese platter.”

“Another option would be any type of Tomme cheese - a type of mild French cheese,” adds Kerry.

Grumpy Grandma’s Moroccan Semi Dried Olives

Paul says an aged Gouda or anything with caramel notes would work well with the Moroccan semi dried olives.

“The warm spice of the cumin and coriander aromatic pair perfectly with a cheese that has warm, caramel notes,” he says.

His top pick? “Our aged Nimbin Valley monte nardi would be an ideal match.”

Grumpy Grandma’s Tuscan Treats Semi Dried Olives

“These would match with a ricotta, a smooth cow or any salad type cheese,” says Kerry.

“The Mediterranean flavours of the olives make them an ideal accompaniment to a Mediterranean type cheese like the Nimbin Valley White Cow.”

Grumpy Grandma’s Taste of Thai Semi Dried Olives

Thai flavours are a little trickier to match with cheese, but Paul and Kerry have the answer.

“An aged cheddar would work well. Or just enjoy these as a snack or in Thai inspired salads.”

Think about drink

Paul points out that all the semi dried olives have a punchy flavour and cheese itself is generally a strong flavour as well. For this reason it’s important to consider not only what you’ll eat with the olives, but what you’ll be drinking with them too.

“A lighter style wine or a clean beer is ideal,” he says.

“Steer clear of anything too hoppy or bitter. Japanese beers can work well as they are rice based and quite clean and crisp. You want a beverage to cleanse the pallet - even a whisky could work well.”

As for what else to include on the platter, the advice is to keep it simple.

“You have two strongly flavoured foods so all you need is some fresh bread or simple crackers to serve,” advises Kerry.

NB: looking for an amazing cracker, try these from Byron Bay Crackers.

Where to buy

You can find more about Nimbin Valley Dairy on their website nimbinvalley.com.au or visit their stall at Byron, Bangalow and Mullumbimby Farmers’ Markets each week.

Grumpy Grandma’s Semi-Dried Olives are available online. Free shipping is available on all orders over $75 - use the code GRUMPY75 at checkout.