We are fond of gouda at my house, and we occasionally splurge on one of those aged versions you see at the cheese shop. But I had never heard of an imported Dutch gouda made with milk from a single herd until I visited the Murray's cheese shop inside the Kroger's on Eldridge Parkway. And thanks to Murray's "try before you buy" policy, I got to sample some.

There were actually two single-farm goudas to choose from. Boerenkaas is an old-fashioned raw milk, farmstead-made cheese. The other cheese, named simply "Estate Gouda," is a proprietary cheese—which means Murray's Cheese has bought up the entire production of this farm. The Holstein-Fresian dairy cows in this single farm herd are pastured in clover. Their milk produces a rich, creamy, nutty, and deeply aromatic cheese, it was the best gouda I've ever tasted. 

The "Cheese Master" at the Elridge Parkway store is Cat Droubhi (left), a name that might sound familiar to Houston food lovers—she grew up in her dad's Middle Eastern food store, Droubi's on Hillcroft. When she took the job at Murray's, she got part of her training at the original Murray's Cheese store in Greenwich Village, one of the oldest and best respected cheesemongers in the country. Cat supervises four other team members at the Eldridge Parkway location—there are many more mini-Murray's in upscale Kroger's around the city. 

Next time you're in a fancy Kroger, go taste some of Murray's cheese.