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?

Blue Cheese Culture

In the production of certain cheeses (Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort for example) a blue mould is grown on the surface of the cheese using a culture known as Penicillium Roqueforti. This is added to the milk prior to the introduction of rennet to encourage the growth of the mould.

Actual Roquefort is a blue cheese (protected by AOC guidelines) originating from the south of France, which is traditionally made from sheep’s milk. The Penicillium Roqueforti used in its production is found in the soil of local caves, and was originally ‘harvested’ by cheesemakers by leaving bread to ‘mould’ in the caves, which was later dried to a powder.

Today the culture can be produced in labs, used in a variety of blue cheeses and purchased from Moorlands – a much more straightforward way to acquire it! Just visit www.cheesemaking.co.uk/penicillium-roqueforti-cheese-making-culture?filter_name=roquefort

Use the culture to make your own tasty blue cheese at home – delicious!

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.