Cheese makes TV cracker

TRY THIS: Rae Doughty was feeding husband Brian a piece of cheese at the River Traders' Market in this 2011 photograph. PHOTO/ FILE A_160411WCSMMARKET-6

A film crew came to rural Wanganui last week - for cheese and crackers.

Director Howard Taylor, a cameraman and a sound man spent six days in the district, filming an episode of Country Calendar for Television New Zealand.

Their focus was mainly the Lonely Goat cheese made by Rae and Brian Doughty. The two won silver and bronze awards for their feta at the New Zealand Champions of Cheese awards last year.

But the crew also took side-trips to see how local farmers help Hospice and how James Chatterton and Mike Cheyne made their Mash Tun crackers.

The district has had a good outing on Country Calendar this year, with programmes about Hel Loader and Scott Wilson's Nuts 'n May and Tarn Chisholm and Jewels Davey's Girls Go Country. The Lonely Goat programme will not screen until March or April next year.

At the start of last week, the Doughtys were filmed at their Brunswick farm in the cowshed, goatshed and cheese room. The cheese room is small for five people, Mr Doughty said. That was a bit intense but he got used to it.

"You do soon get over having the camera in your face all the time."

He is chairman of the Farming Friends of Hospice, one of many charitable causes he likes to help.

Its 200 farmer members raise stock and sell them to benefit Hospice Wanganui. The film crew went to Dougal and Di McIntosh's farm to see the animals and to the hospice to meet a doctor and clients.

On Friday afternoon they were with the makers of Mash Tun crackers, who have just achieved enough crowdfunding to start their own small factory in Wanganui.

On Saturday the crew filmed the Doughtys at their stall at the River Traders' market. They were fitted with microphones, to record conversations with customers.

It was an enjoyable week, Mr Taylor said. "I've been coming to Wanganui for 40 years. I think it's becoming quite a sophisticated little city. It's treating the arts well, and there's more of a buzz."