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.