Yeah, there are a few different brands of quark around, but there is only one brand that was really of the style that my wife is after. She likes it a little thicker than the consistency of Greek yoghurt. There is one brand we have found locally but it is very expensive and not always available. It is very cheap and easy to make. I usually get around 800g from 2L of cheap milk, plus cultured buttermilk as the starter.
Cream cheese does sound like a good choice for now. One thing I never mentioned in my intro is that I'm actually lactose intolerant. It sucks when you love dairy so much. Some of my cheese I will give away to friends and family, but I will still try as much as I can tolerate.
On my hands, they are not totally unusable. My right hand has nerve damage that caused CRPS from botched surgery and my left hand has carpal tunnel syndrome (what I had in my right hand before surgery). I am able to do a lot of things, but gripping is difficult and repetitive tasks such as mixing for extended periods of time are a problem. I was okay with the Caerphilly recipe as I was only stirring every five minutes or so to prevent matting of the curds. I was able to break up the curds with my hands and those kinds of activities are actually good for me. I am trying to desensitise my right hand from all of the symptoms that are going on in my hand. I have seen recipes which call for stirring for 30+ minutes and that is just not possible for me.
Cheddar is certainly what I plan on making and I hope to get there soon. Cutting the curds is not a problem for me at this stage. I need to get some more cultures first though as I'm about to run out. I have been buying the Mad Millie ingredients from a local baking supply store, but also online. I'm not able to drive at the moment, so I can't get anything on the spur of the moment right now. I have been practicing with the cheap supermarket milk until I get some experience. I hope to order some bits and pieces from the cheeselinks online store soon.
I'll have to read up on halloumi. It is yum. I hadn't really thought of trying. Thanks for the suggestion.
Tomorrow I hope to make another double cream brie which will hopefully be ready by Christmas. After that I'll be out of starter culture I think.
Yeah, a club sounds like a good idea. I don't have a feel for how many home cheesemakers there are around Melbourne.
All the best and keep the suggestions coming.
Shane