Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
And with this slightly ambiguous blog title, we were also right on the hashtag of the day. Debbie from Debs Bakery organized a very nice meetup where we also learned everything about goat cheese. And with 14 female food bloggers together, there was of course enough “goat”. Also at this meetup we had a very nice club of familiar and unknown faces. Together we made a delicious lunch in which goat cheese played the role! Read along about this afternoon "goats and cooking with food bloggers".
Etten-Leur
The navigation of my car led me through all kinds of residential areas of Etten-Leur and I thought to myself it could never be here… But soon we left this behind us and I ended up in the countryside and the meadows. The Bettine Hoeve and the stables of the goat farmer Jasper are less than a kilometer apart as the crow flies. The road from milk to cheese is therefore only a very short one. We started the day at the farm. Just to be safe, I had put on my boots and not picked out my latest coat. And that turned out not to be superfluous because they are very curious those kids. So curious that they just climbed up on me with paws and all.
cuddling goats
We start the tour in a small stable where the goats that have just been born are normally kept. The kids are first placed alone in a kind of container. Here they get colostrum and are kept well under control. Then they move the kids to a kind of "goat box" where they sit with eight goats. Farmer Jasper tells us that the kids don't stay with the mother because otherwise they can't see and control it. It is also safer for the kid to increase his or her chances of survival. The next step is the stable we walked to afterwards. They come rushing towards us with a delicious bleating. They are very curious and they let themselves be petted. When I try to take a selfie, a goat happily nibbles at my coat and one pulls hard at my hair!
dairy goats
The next stop in the tour is another large barn where the dairy goats are kept. These are even a step bigger. They are in a very long stable where they can walk around and eat and drink all day long. This farmer also has such a nice brush that the goats can use to help themselves. The space next to it is for milking. There they are neatly lined up and milked. I had no idea but it happened super fast! And so it takes him about two hours to milk over 800 (!) goats!
The Bettine Hoeve
All that milk must of course be processed and that is what they do at Bettine. But food first! Because with 14 hungry ladies there must of course be eaten. Debbie had taken care of this down to the last detail with delicious recipes that we started cooking together. The small kitchen was very busy, but in no time there were a number of delicious dishes on the table. From pizzas to salads and tasty snacks. And of course all the recipes were made with Bettine's cheese. Those nice little balls, the regular goat cheese, and delicious melted cheese from the oven. Look here the week 45 weekly vlog for a look behind the scenes!
Guided Tour
Xander van Bettine gave us a tour of the company. We were not able to see how the cheese was made, but we did see the entire process afterwards. Of course safety and hygiene come first, so we put on nice coats, hats and bags around our feet. And they are strict, we even had to take off our earrings and jewelry because imagine something falling into the cheese…. Of course you don't want that. And they can make goat cheese here! We walked past racks full of all kinds of flavors and types of cheese. Different weights and shapes for different markets.
Goats and cooking with food bloggers
And so a wonderful afternoon with good company, good food and fine cheeses came to an end. But we were not sent home empty-handed. We received a nice goodie bag full of cheeses and other nice things. There's nothing left for me to say: Thanks to Debbie, Bettine, and goat farmer Jasper for a fun and informative afternoon!
Delicious Happen is a multi-media company, so you can also find me on various social media. follow me on Facebook, Pinterest en Instagram under @delicioushappen. If you make this recipe I would love it if you tagged me #delicioushappen. A comment below in the comments is also nice of course!