Hawkes Bay-based international cheese judge wants more New Zealand cheeses on the shelves

Juliet Harbutt is one of the world's leading authorities on cheese. Photo / File

By RNZ

Hawkes Bay-based international cheese judge Juliet Harbutt wants New Zealand cheese-makers to have to the confidence to produce unique cheeses and not try to follow recipes from overseas.

Many years ago, Juliet set up both the New Zealand Cheese Awards and the British Cheese Awards.

She's now back in New Zealand consulting to cheese-makers and running food and wine tours.

"Why do you need to make a camembert or brie? It's like champagne. We make wonderful bubbly," Harbutt said.

"We make wonderful red wines with pinot noir but we don't call them burgundy we call them pinot noir."

Juliet says if a cheese-maker makes a cheese called 'Full Moon' nobody knows how it is meant to taste.

"Therefore whatever it tastes like is exactly what it should taste like. Isn't that better than making a camembert and people go 'it doesn't taste anything like the original' or 'it's not as good as somebody else's'? I think it's a much better idea."

Harbutt has previously said New Zealand could be cashing in on its cheese, as the wine industry was doing, by emphasising local flavours and points of difference.

- Story from Country Life, Radio NZ