How our cheese is made

We make our cheese by hand using traditional methods whilst adhering to today's strict hygiene regulations.

Step 1
Pasteurised milk is collected from a local dairy and pumped into the cheese vat where starter cultures are added to begin the cheese making process. These cultures produce acidity by converting the naturally occurring milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid which prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and makes the cheese safe to eat.

Step 2
Vegetarian rennet is added, this coagulates the milk and it sets almost like custard.

Step 3
The coagulum is cut with special "knives" into small pieces. This releases liquid called whey and the solids that remain are known as curds. This mixture of curds and whey is then heated and stirred gently for approximately an hour and a half, this dries and shrinks the curd which is then allowed to settle on the bottom of the vat.

Step 4
The whey is drained leaving the curd.

Step 5
The curd "rests" a while and is then cut into small blocks and turned every 20 minutes to help any remaining whey drain away.

Step 6
The blocks of curd are chopped into smaller pieces (milled) and salted.

Step 7
The curd is filled into cheese moulds and pressed under pneumatic pressure overnight.

Cheese at last! When can you buy some?

The cheese is removed from the moulds and is then transferred to the maturing store, where it remains for 2 to 18 months depending on the variety. It is checked every 6 weeks for taste and texture. During the maturing process the starter cultures breakdown the fats and proteins to give the cheese its distinctive flavour. When we are happy with it the cheese goes out for sale.

All of our cheese is suitable for vegetarians.