A little cheesy interview with Brooke of The Vegan Cheese Shop
Brooke tells us about why she and her family started selling vegan cheese, her fave cheeses and throws in a recipe to boot!
What inspired you to start The Vegan Cheese Shop?
I knew from my experience going vegan that giving up cheese was the biggest challenge. I had resigned to the fact that vegan cheese exists but it wasn't worth eating and was the quickest and most expensive way to ruin a pizza. I first tasted good vegan cheese at a market on the Central Coast in 2017, it was The Vegan Dairy Persian Feta (yum!). In that moment I was inspired and excited that you can go vegan without missing out on the pleasure of good cheese! We went travelling through North America on a foodie adventure, sampling their vegan food scene in particular vegan cheese delis and providores and was blown away. Upon returning to Australia I began studying at vegan chef school and creating my own vegan cheeses. I was inspired by what magic you can do with plants. We also discovered there were incredibly talented Australian producers making genuinely good cheese alternatives however they weren’t available in NSW. Our mission became all about just finding the best in vegan cheese and getting it out there. The vegan community had become jaded with poor supermarket cheese options and we wanted to change that, to help more people switch to a vegan lifestyle. We were committed to offering free samples at our market stalls to change the perception of vegan cheese. To support these talented Australian suppliers and to reshape the industry and the expectation and demand for better quality alternatives. We proudly shipped Australia wide but unfortunately will remain a covid influenced hiatus due to shipping and courier network restraints but encourage you to continue to support our incredible Australian cheesemaker friends directly.
What’s the response been like?
It has been described to us that our stall looked like front row of a mosh pit. The demand was beyond expectation as we were flooded with beautiful amazing supportive customers at every market we attended. Not just vegan events either! We loved sharing tasters with non vegans at food fairs and changing their minds about vegan cheese. It was a real joy.
Fave cheese?
Oh boy. That is a tough one. If I had to single any out it would be;
Noshing Melty Blue, Dilectio Camembert and All The Things Brie for authenticity.
The YAY Marinated Feta for a flavour sensation
Lauds Melt Me for cheese toasties
Hello Friend Mozzarella for versatility
The Vegan Dairy Herb & Garlic Boursin for any time of day
Fave cheese recipe?
This was one of the first cheese sauces I ever made and still today is my favourite to make and share with friends
