A New Start

With the start of a new year you may be considering taking up a new hobby or pastime. There are so many great activities available, but if you’re looking for something really different that provides a tasty end result, then cheesemaking could be the pastime for you.

Cheese is a very nutritious foodstuff (an added bonus if you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to eat more healthily) as it is a great source of protein, calcium and vitamins. The options you have when making cheese are also endless, with a great variety of hard and soft cheeses to choose from and the scope to add herbs, seasoning and flavourings of your choice to create even more possibilities.

A great way to get started is with one of our comprehensive kits that include the essentials to get you started, together with full instructions. www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-making-kits

We also supply a range of equipment and ingredients, such as rennet, to provide you with everything that you need to make delicious cheese.

So what are you waiting for? Take up cheesemaking today!

The Big Cheese Move

If you’ve visited our website recently, or if you follow us on Twitter, you will have seen that Moorlands has recently moved our premises from the beautiful setting of Castle Cary, Somerset to the equally beautiful Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Of course Somerset is known for being the home of Cheddar cheese, which originated from the village of the same name. It is thought to have been around since the 12^th century, when it was purchased by Henry II, and it’s still a hugely popular buy today.

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire is the home of the popular, semi-hard Gloucester cheese, which is actually available in single and double varieties. Double Gloucester is aged for a longer period, creating a stronger taste, and is often blended with ingredients such as chives and spring onions. It also features in Gloucestershire’s annual cheese-rolling contest.

But whatever your taste in cheese, and regardless of where we’re actually based, you can be sure of purchasing premium quality cheesemaking kits, equipment and supplies from http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk

Curds and Whey

“Little Miss Muffet,

Sat on her tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey”

- The start of a popular children’s rhyme, but what exactly are curds and whey?

In simple terms, think cottage cheese, with the lumpy part being the curds and the more liquid part being the whey. The word curd actually comes from the Latin ‘coagulare’, as it’s formed during the process of coagulating milk, which produces curds (solids) and ‘whey’ (liquid) that takes its origins from Old English ‘hweg’.

In cheesemaking, rennet (a curdling agent) is added to milk, as are starter cultures, to enable coagulation. The milk separates into the curds and whey, which are used in the cheesemaking process. The curds can be made into a variety of cheeses, whilst the whey can be removed during the process – the more whey removed, the drier the cheese. However, Ricotta cheese is actually made from re-cooked whey.

At Moorlands, we supply a selection of high quality ingredients and equipment to help in the making of curds and whey. For example, we offer rennet in liquid and tablet form, in animal and vegetarian varieties, just visit http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-rennet

Whilst our sturdy curd cutter http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-curd-cutter and muslin straining bags http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheesecloth/cheesecloth-straining-bags are invaluable aids in the cheesemaking process.

For all your cheesemaking supplies choose Moorlands.

Roll Up For Cheese!

Cheese, a versatile food that you can serve with crackers, on toast, in sauces, on pizzas, in quiches, as part of a ploughman’s lunch … the list goes on. Whether you enjoy it with a cup of tea or a glass wine, it’s a delicious food, rich in protein and calcium, which you can indulge in at any time. 

There are those, however, who have found other interesting uses for cheese. In Gloucestershire, an annual cheese-rolling contest (thought to date back to the 19^th century) is held at Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth, with the 2017 champion, soldier Chris Anderson, recently crowned – or rather presented with a Double Gloucester Cheese. The race involves chasing downhill after a 9lb Double Gloucester Cheese, which can apparently reach speeds of 70mph! A May Day programme of cheese-rolling events is also held yearly in Stilton, Cambridgeshire.

But if all this seems a bit too energetic for you, we have an idea for a cheese activity that you can enjoy in your own home – cheesemaking. If you’re new to the craft, then one of our comprehensive kits is an easy way to get started. Visit http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-making-kits to see our full range.

You can get the whole family involved in making delicious cheese, whether hard or soft, made with cows’, goats’ or sheep’s milk and with the addition of herbs and spices if desired. So why not give it a go, with a little help from Moorlands?

Marvellous Mozzarella

Mozzarella is a fresh tasting, firm but creamy curd cheese that is often added to pizza toppings or pasta bakes as it melts easily. Traditionally made from buffalo’s milk, but now more commonly produced using cows’ milk due to high demand, you can make tasty Mozzarella in your own home.

The first Mozzarella was made near Naples, Italy, and legend has it that it originally came about by accident when cheese curds fell into a pail of hot water, although it has also been attributed to third century Italian Monks who gave out “Mozza’ to the poor.

For a traditional Italian salad, slice Mozzarella and ripe tomatoes, drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top and add torn basil leaves and a little salt to taste.

Need a supply of fresh Mozzarella? Then simply make your own – it’s easier than you think!

At Moorlands, we’re pleased to offer a complete Mozzarella Cheese Kit containing full instructions, dial thermometer, cheese curds, citric acid and vegetarian rennet – just add milk and a little of your time! Click here to order your kit.

To view other cheesemaking kits that we offer, please visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk

Cheesemaking Culture

It’s possible to make a huge variety of cheeses at home, providing you have the right ingredients and equipment at hand, which of course you can purchase from Moorlands, as well as contacting us for valuable advice. 

For lovers of white mould ripened cheeses, such as Camembert or Brie, you’ll need Penicillium Candidum Neige LYO 2D Cheese Making Culture, which you’ll find at www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cultures/penicillium-candidum-neige-lyo-2d-cheese-making-culture

The culture should be added to the milk or put onto the surface of the cheese by dipping or spraying. Once a light covering of mould has grown, usually after about 9 - 10 days but sooner if warmer, you then need to wrap the cheese and place it on a rack in a high humidity atmosphere (around 10ºC) for the coat to grow. One dose of this culture is sufficient for 100 litres of milk.

Incidentally, the Penicillium Candidum culture is also used in the production of salami, to add flavour and lower the pH, therefore reducing the growth of bacteria. A very usual culture to know!

This is just one of the mould cultures that we supply at Moorlands Cheesemakers, with Penicillium Roqueforti and Geotrichum Candidum being other useful examples.

For all your cheesemaking needs please visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk

Popular Press

As you progress with cheesemaking at home, there are a number of items of equipment that you will find beneficial to enable you to obtain great results, one of these being a good quality cheese press.

Certainly in the making of harder cheeses, a press is necessary to “knit the curds” (bring them together in a mass) using specific pressure, which will also remove any extra whey, producing the texture of cheese that you’re aiming for.

Moorlands cheese presses were originally designed some 50 years ago and we’re pleased to still be using this traditional, tried and tested design today. Produced by a small UK plastic fabrications company, our presses are available in large (for up to four kilos of hard cheese) and small (up to one kilo) sizes, fitted with carefully crafted spring mechanisms to enable the correct pressure to be applied. You can view our presses by visiting www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-presses

Commended for their ease of use and no-fuss cleaning, compact style and great results, Moorlands presses are a must-have for budding and advanced cheesemakers alike.

At Moorlands we believe that by using good quality ingredients and equipment, you too can make great cheese

A Great Start!

At Moorlands we supply high quality cheesemaking equipment and supplies, with our starter cultures being no exception. Our excellent selection of starter cultures ensure that whatever variety of cheese you decide to make, it gets off to a good start!

What are starter cultures?

The first stage in making cheese involves ‘ripening’ the milk, converting the sugars (lactose) in the milk to lactic acid. Starter cultures, which are basically strains of bacteria originally sourced during the natural cheesemaking process, but now often grown in labs, control this process.

There are two main groups of culture, mesophilic that like moderate temperatures and thermophilic, which react to warmer conditions, with each type being bettersuited to specific cheeses.

We’re pleased to offer a wide range of starter cultures aimed at a broad selection of popular cheeses, buttermilk and yogurt. Whether you’re looking for something specific, such as a starter for Gouda, Mozzarella or Parmesan, or are looking to purchase a handy starter kit containing multiple options, we offer great choice. Just take a look at www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cultures to view the options.

Remember, great cheese starts with a great culture!

For more information!

Visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk

Phone 0196 335 0634

Write to: Moorland Cheesemakers LTD

               Lorien House

               South Street

               Castle Cary

               Somerset

               BA7 7ES

Waxing Lyrical About Cheese

With Christmas approaching, it’s worth remembering that it’s not just our cheesemaking kits that make great presents, as cheese hand made by you can make a great gift too! To make your cheese look all the more festive, you can give it that finishing touch with one of our colourful waxes. www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-wax

  

These waxes give a beautiful airtight finish to hard and semi-hard cheeses, keeping the good bacteria in and the harmful out and preventing the cheese from drying out. Just melt down the wax in a heavy pan, a little larger than the cheese to be dipped. We recommend dipping the cheese twice for a perfect finish before allowing the wax to cool. You can then simply place the lid on the pan and store the wax somewhere cool between batches.

Whether you choose to give one of our popular Moorlands cheesemaking kits www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cheese-making-cheese-making-kits or a cheese lovingly made by you and encased in one of lovely waxes, we’re sure your gift will be very well received. 

Which Cheese?

When taking up cheesemaking, it can be difficult to decide which type of cheese to try first. It can be argued that a soft cheese is a good starting point for a beginner, but many dream of making a tasty hard cheese. So how do deal with this dilemma? Purchase our popular Combined Cheesemaking Kit and enjoy mastering both! 

The British Combined Kit is our best seller and contains everything you need to make curd, soft and hard cheese – you just need to add milk and your time! The kit contains sufficient all-important rennet and starter to make approximately five 1kg hard cheeses and numerous batches of soft cheese. It also contains a thermometer, cheesecloth, a small Moorlands press, hard and soft cheese moulds, follower and mat. And of course, to get you started it comes with "An Introduction to Cheesemaking at Home" booklet to give you necessary help and advice.

Whether taking up cheesemaking yourself as a rewarding pastime, or looking for an unusual gift for a friend or relative, our British Combined Cheesemaking Kit is the perfect choice.

Just click here to read more and make your purchase.

At Moorlands we stock a great range of cheesemaking kits and high quality cheesemaking equipment. Just visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk to take a look at all that we offer.

Why Make Your Own Cheese?

There are many reasons for making your own cheese at home. In addition to the enjoyment of the process and the satisfaction of achievement, there are the added benefits of making cheese to your own taste and to suit your personal dietary requirements. Then of course, there are the health benefits.

Much publicity has been given over the years to controlling the amount of salt that we consume in our diet, encouraging us to stay within guidelines set for its recommended daily intake. By definition many cheeses require salt to aid with the cheesemaking process and act as a preservative. However, certain soft cheeses may be made without the introduction of salt, whilst when making other types of cheese you are able to control the amount, type and quality of salt that you use. At Moorlands we recommend using our fine grade, organic sea salt (see here)

And of course, cheese is a great source of calcium needed for healthy development of bones and teeth in children and to stave off osteoporosis in later life. In fact, why not get the kids involved in the cheesemaking process with one of our Kids Cheesemaking Kits (more here) that help to make cheese healthy and fun?

Whether you use cows’, ewes’ or goats’ milk, make cheese to a traditional recipe or add your own herbs or spices, the beauty of making your own cheese is that you’re in control and can enjoy making the cheese that you really want to eat.

For more information please visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk

Or you can call 0196 335 0634 or complete our form here

Welcome to Moorlands

Welcome to the blog for Moorlands Cheesemaking Ltd, suppliers of professional-style cheesemaking kits that allow you to make delicious cheese tailored to your individual tastes, in your own home.

Originally established in 1969, Moorlands is based in Somerset, home of traditional English Cheddar and the popular Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show. People from all walks of life including top London restaurateurs and well-known celebrity chefs have purchased our cheese kits.

The beauty of making your own cheese is that you can take into account your own personal food intolerances or tastes. For example, if you are unable to digest cows’ milk, you can use goats’ or ewes’ milk instead or if you like a cheese flavoured with herbs or spices you can add these when making your cheese.

Our cheesemaking kits come complete with liquid rennet (an enzyme complex that curdles milk) and high quality starters (cultures containing lactic-acid producing bacteria used in the fermentation process). They also contain the necessary equipment to get started with the cheesemaking process including cheese moulds, thermometer, cheesecloth, full instructions and, in the case of hard cheese kits, a press. 

Whether you’re looking to take up a new interest yourself or are seeking a slightly more unusual gift, a Moorlands cheesemaking kit is the ideal choice.

For more information please visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk

For enquiries please call 0196 335 0634 or use our customer enquiry form at www.cheesemaking.co.uk/index.php?route=information/contact

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing our love of cheesemaking.