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Humble cheese roll evolution

Uma Ahmed

The humble cheese roll will always be a hit at fundraisers down south, but it is also evolving into quite the delicacy.

The cheese roll, also known as the Southland sushi has been a staple for Southlanders for as long as they can remember.

Southland chef Ethan Flack, who has worked at top Michelin-starred restaurants in UK in the past, deemed the food item as the regional food for the south.

‘‘There’s still schools and scout clubs and stuff making cheese rolls as fundraisers to make money which I think is fantastic because it sort of keeps that tradition going,’’ he said.

Flack did acknowledge that people were experimenting more with the recipe these days. ‘‘People put Pāua in their cheese rolls,’’ he said.

While there are many variations of recipes for cheese rolls the main basic ingredient remains lots of cheese and bread. ‘‘There is people making more of a meal . . . more of a substantial helping which I think is good as well because it can help to get it out there,’’ Flack said.

The Batch Cafe´ co-owner Kate French said the establishment sells its cheese rolls as more of a light meal, than a side to a soup or some other kind of main meal.

‘‘There will always be the place for the classic humble skinny fundraiser cheese-roll with the veggie soup on netball on Saturday.

‘‘But, there is definitely a market out there for the gourmet version,’’ she said.

Southlander Tom Hishon has been making fancier cheese rolls up north.

He owns Auckland-based cafe Orphans Kitchen and Kingii restaurant have made the Southland cheese roll quite a hit amongst city-folk.

‘‘I think for me the Southland cheese rolls just probably as nostalgic as it gets in terms of food memories growing up.’’

There was a great sense of community around the food item as we grew up as kids rolling them up for sports fundraisers, he said.

‘‘I think it’s something southerners are really proud of . . . in a way it kind of encapsulates the spirit of Southlanders rolled up into a nice piece of white bread and warm melted cheese . . . sort of like Southland hospitality at its finest,’’ Hishon said.

The Southland Times reported earlier this month that a 1kg block of Mainland aged cheddar tasty cheese had been selling for $21.50 at Countdown and that overall cheese prices were up 27% year-on-year compared with March 2021.

But price increases for Southland sushi have yet to happen.

French said while dairy prices were rising the cafe´ had not increased its cheese roll prices. ‘‘Prices are moving at a crazy rate on everything . . . butter went up 33% not long ago,’’ she said.

Frances Bell has been helping out at Invercargill Golf Club’s annual cheese-roll fundraiser for more than six years and in that time, the price of the main ingredient, cheese, had steadily increased.

‘‘In 2016, we were selling them for $6 a dozen or four dozen for $22.

‘‘And last year, which is the latest pricing I can give you, it was $7 a dozen and three dozen for $20,’’ she said.

Bell said cheese rolls were a hit every year, and the interest kept growing in them as a fundraiser.

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