Leave the greyness of the city behind and, whenever the opportunity offers, take the picturesque route to the little village of Šentjošt nad Horjulom, an enchanting journey at any time of the year.
Observe the mysterious veils that stretch over the lowlands in winter, fill your heart with the first springtime sun as it rises over the hills, seek coolness in the fresh greenery in summer and in autumn fall in love over and over again with the golden-red hues of the surrounding forests. Just before you arrive, cast your gaze over the steep slope, where on most days you will see the white goats of the Orešnik family, who have made their home on the outskirts of the village, complete with their now famous cheese dairy and goat barn.
Like in a scene from a child’s picture book, behind the great doors of the bright barn a row of inquisitive white heads await you, peering through the rails of their pens to see if it is time for their feed. On the other side of the barn, heedless of the wonderful views, part of the goat herd is grazing on a steep meadow that smells of thyme. The sound of a noisy flock of geese and ducks comes from behind an enclosure.
How it started
Back in the early nineties, Irena and Dejan Orešnik swapped the ordinary working days that caused them to miss the best moments in their home village for a small farm on which a few goats provided enough milk for their growing family. This return to nature gradually developed into a mission that, together with their family, they continue to pursue with enthusiasm today. In 1998 the Orešniks registered their dairy, where today they produce around 40,000 litres of milk each year. Using natural, organic and traditional methods, they turn goat’s and sheep’s milk into yoghurt, whey, quark and, above all, excellent cheeses, which, thanks to the characteristics of the environment, particularly the local greenery, flowers and herbs from their pastureland (and perhaps also because of the music that resounds through their barn), are distinguished by a remarkable range of flavours and a special aroma.
The Orešniks are unwavering in their commitment to the principle that only the best is good enough and, from early spring to the end of December, work tirelessly to produce products worthy of the Selected Quality – Slovenia label, to which they add the epithet “farmhouse”. Their range of cheeses – also available from the market at the Interspar Vič shopping centre and the Pri Žabarju market in Ljubljana, consists of soft cheeses made from fresh sheep’s or goat’s milk (or a mixture of the two), semi-hard cheese, blue cheese and, for the most intense flavour experience, mature sheep’s and goat’s cheeses. All are prepared with the collaboration of an invisible herd or flock of bacteria, yeasts
and moulds, which provide various flavours, aromas, textures and shapes.
How it's going
The added value of Sirarstvo Orešnik products lies in their remarkable gastronomic potential, as a result of which their cheeses can be found on the menus of numerous acclaimed restaurants. Irena, the driving force behind Sirarstvo Orešnik (as well as an international expert on statistics), can talk for hours and hours about cheesemaking and the beneficial effects that cheeses have on our health and can list off the top of her head more than 30 chefs and winemakers who are regular or at least occasional customers.
Their first cheese delivery is, of course, to the nearby Michelin-starred Grič, but they also deliver to the Ljubljana restaurants Atelje, Breg, TaBar, JB, Hotel Slon, Maksim and the Vander boutique hotel. They also send their cheeses to the Primorska region, where they complement the delights offered by winemakers and restaurateurs such as Burja, Klinec, Movia, Simčič and Bužinel, and occasionally their route takes them as far as Staro Selo near Kobarid, where internationally renowned chef Ana Roš uses Orešnik cheeses in her culinary creations. You can also try Orešnik cheeses in the Gorenjska region (Vila Planinka, Hotel Bohinj, Gostilna Krištof, the restaurants of the Jezeršek group, etc.) and in Štajerska at Sedem, Fudo and Pavus, among other restaurants.
The love, remarkable professionalism and enthusiasm with which the Orešniks set about educating cheese lovers (and those who will become cheese lovers after trying their products) produce a feeling of homeliness and hopes of a bright future in which consumers and producers are joined in a genuine and sincere relationship based on mutual trust.
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MMM stories is a series of online articles introducing unique local shops, small producers, farmers, and restaurants from Ljubljana and the surroundings.
Photos: Matic Bajželj / Sous chef
