Cheesemaking & Cooking Masterclass with Kristen Allan

Join artisan cheesemaker Kristen Allan at the Longhouse for a two-day immersive cheesemaking and cooking masterclass! Drawing on her experience teaching in Scotland, Kristen combines traditional small-batch cheesemaking with hands-on cooking, showing you how to transform fresh cheeses and whey into delicious seasonal dishes.

This intimate, interactive experience is perfect for anyone who loves food made by hand. You’ll learn classic artisan techniques, then use your creations to cook a shared lunch—ensuring nothing goes to waste and every step is rewarding.

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Day 1: Fresh Cheeses & Creative Cooking

Learn the classics: buttermilk ricotta, ricotta salata, mascarpone, labne, cultured butter, and compound/flavoured butters. Then transform your cheeses into a seasonal lunch: hot cross buns with cultured butter, tomatoes with marinated labne, fig leaf-wrapped baked ricotta, whipped ricotta and mascarpone with honey and fresh figs, slow-cooked goat in whey, whey and potato focaccia, and more. Even the whey is celebrated, including in fermented sodas and focaccia.

What you’ll learn:

• Buttermilk ricotta

• Fig leaf-wrapped baked ricotta

• Ricotta salata

• Yoghurt

• Labne

• Mascarpone

• Cultured butter

• Compound/flavoured butters

Lunch & recipes to share:

• Hot cross buns with cultured butter

• Slow-cooked goat in whey

• Fig leaf-wrapped baked ricotta

• Whey and potato focaccia

• Anchovy butter

• Tomatoes with marinated labne

• Salady greens with ricotta salata

• Whipped ricotta and mascarpone with honey and fresh figs

• Fig leaf & bramble whey fermented soda

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Day 2: Stretched Curd Cheeses & Seasonal Lunch

Discover the art of mozzarella, burrata, and stracciatella—soft, milky pillows and creamy fillings that are as beautiful as they are delicious. You’ll also explore creative ways to use leftover whey and incorporate freshly made cheese into a seasonal shared lunch.

What you’ll learn:

• Mozzarella

• Burrata (creamy stracciatella filling)

• Stracciatella (stringy mozzarella strands mixed with cream and salt)

Lunch & recipes to share:

• Cardamom shortbread

• Whey and potato focaccia with cultured butter

• Ragu bolognese with whey

• Fig, tomato, and herby salad

• Stracciatella with chilli oil

• Salady greens with whey dressing

• Fig leaf & bramble whey fermented soda

• Lemon almond and polenta cake

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When: Saturday & Sunday, 7–8 February 2026 | 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Price: $960 for the full two-day experience (or $550 per day)
Spaces: 12 places available

Immerse yourself in the Longhouse way of life, learn artisan techniques honed through international experience, and enjoy the fruits of your labor with hands-on cheesemaking and cooking. This is a truly unique experience you won’t find anywhere else—a celebration of flavour, creativity, and food made by hand.

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