Just kidding around

Those of us who are or were parents of new born babies know what it’s like to be attending to three to four-hourly feeds. Now multiply that by about 100, and you have Amanda and Lindsey Goodman’s world in springtime, when they feed their kid goats around the clock. Not only do the young need feeding, but they are highly susceptible to cold and rain, and need to be dried, wrapped and sheltered during chilly Wairarapa nights. By Katherine Robinson. Main photo by Esther Bunning.

But you won’t hear Amanda or Lindsey complaining – not even when the kids nibble Amanda’s spring tulips to the ground. Producers of The Drunken Nanny’s multi award-winning goats’ cheese, the Goodmans, their three children and their friendly if mischievous herd of saanen and anglo nubian goats live in a sweet spot 16km south of Martinborough. Starting with just 30 milking goats, the Drunken Nanny herd now numbers 150, reflecting an ever-growing demand for quality goats’ milk and goats’ milk  products. In fact, demand is now so strong that the Goodmans have instigated a second less intense kidding time in autumn.   

Come early evening, and the paddock is full of lightning-quick kids skipping behind Lindsey, eager for a feed.  The milking goats will also willingly follow Lindsey to the milking shed, jumping up on the stand, ready and waiting. You could speculate how much the herd’s charmed, relatively stress-free life contributes to the distinctly sweet, mild flavour of the goats’ cheese.  That, and the fact that the cheesemaking shed  is also on site, contributes to freshness.

The accolades for The Drunken Nanny keep rolling in. At time of writing,  their Goat Milk Kefir, was a Cuisine Artisan Award finalist in the New Zealand Food Awards. Drunken Nanny products have also become a favourite among chefs around the country, used in everything from haute cuisine to burgers in the recent Visa Wellington on a Plate contest.