Adelaide-Hills cheesemaker Woodside Cheese Wrights – best known for cult-status cheeses (and recently won Australia’s Best Cheese) – is branching into the pantry this Christmas with a new handcrafted finishing salt that’s as much about appearance as it is flavour. And we already know Woodside Cheese knows flavour.
It’s called Monet Flower Salt, a crunchy, aromatic sea-salt blend of Australian flakes, speckled with edible petals, and designed to “dress” dishes with colour, texture and a surprising floral lift.
Like Woodside Cheese’s multi-award-winning Monet Goat Chèvre, the flower salt was born from the idea that cheese “can be art.” The name itself pays homage to the riotous blooms of a Monet-style garden, and each petal is thoughtfully selected for edibility, colour and savoury notes.
“It has the colourful nature of Monet’s garden, which was full of many different colours and the stand-out nasturtiums that throw in the vibrant orange colour — many of the flowers in his garden were also edible,” says Woodside Cheese Wrights founder, Kris Lloyd.
Kris describes the flavour as a “clean sea-salt hit (bright, not harsh),” followed by a “gentle herb lift with a soft floral aroma,” mostly thanks to dried roses. Texture matters too. The crunchy finish “wakes everything up and finishes a great experience,” especially when paired with softer cheeses.
“The inspiration is finishing salt as a final stroke of colour, crunch, and lift, without spoiling the flavour of what you’ve worked hard to make. I see it as a “feast for the eyes and the palate,” Kris says.
Beyond cheese, the floral-salt blend can elevate everything from salad and steamed fish to steak and smashed avo toast.
At home, Kris says, “my absolute fave is a beautiful plump Burrata on a gorgeous serving plate surrounded by in-season heirloom tomatoes … drizzle with olive oil, add a good handful of chopped basil leaves and finally the magic — sprinkle with Monet salt. It just looks stunning and tastes divine.”
With summer entertaining on the doorstep, it’s perfectly timed for the Christmas table, too. Kris suggests a seafood platter with prawns or lobster, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and just a sprinkle of the petals – and you’ll be supporting the local seafood industry that’s doing it tough at the moment. But it’s equally as effective on roast turkey, roast veg, and summer salads. Pretty much everything.
At just $9.50, the flower salt is an affordable, stylish finishing touch, perfect for an easy gift, a fun stocking stuffer or a self-treat that lives on the bench all summer long. And with Woodside Cheese Wrights’ glowing portfolio, we can confidently say that anything emerging from Kris Lloyd’s kitchen tends to become a staple.
A delicate, artful sprinkle that looks like a garden and tastes like a little celebration, Monet Flower Salt is ready to impress the family at Christmas, and finally convince the rellies you can actually cook. Plus, it might just be the most Instagrammable addition to the table. Win, win.
“Summer salads: citrus, fennel, stone fruit—Monet Flower Salt is the final touch that makes the bowl look like it belongs in a magazine.”
The Monet Flower Salt is available on the Woodside Cheese Wrights website here.
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