Blog & Recipes

Which culture do I need?

Posted by Luke Dolby on

Which culture do I need?

Cheese cultures are an important part of the cheesemaking process and their importance should not be overlooked. Yes, you can use something to acidify the milk, such as lemon juice or vinegar but the resultant cheeses will likely be bland and lack flavour.  From a safety point of view, it is also best to use a starter culture. The use of vinegar, lemon juice, tartaric acid or citric acid should really only be reserved  for fresh cheeses that have a low finishing pH.  When starting out it can be a bit confusing as to which culture is most suited to...

Read more →

Wax & Coating

Posted by Luke Dolby on

  When ageing certain cheeses such as Gouda cheese waxes and cheese coatings are often used. They are the protective coatings that are applied to cheese. The purpose of these coatings is to protect the cheese from moisture, contaminants and mould growth. Cheese waxes and cheese coatings can be made from a variety of substances, but they all have one common goal - to keep the cheese fresh for as long as possible. Cheese wax is a type of wax that is typically made from a paraffin based product, or less commonly from a microcrystalline source, both of which are...

Read more →

Soured Cream, Crème Fraîche & Mascarpone

Posted by Luke Dolby on

Soured Cream, Crème Fraîche & Mascarpone

Commonly used in cooking and in the case of Mascarpone, regularly in desserts, this is an easy product to make yourself at home. Often shop bought sour cream or Crème Fraîche can be fairly boring, bland to the taste and a bit lacking in the flavour department.  So what is it? Crème Fraîche (fresh cream in French) is a thick cultured cream that has been soured using a culture to produce a tasty, slightly soured cream. It has excellent thickening properties and is great in soups, curries and other sauces.  Crème Fraîche differs slightly from soured cream in that it...

Read more →

Christmas Cheese Board ideas

Posted by Luke Dolby on

Christmas Cheese Board ideas

As Christmas arrives and family and friends gather, one of my favourite parts of the Christmas day feast is the cheese board. I always make sure I’ve left a little room after the turkey and Christmas pudding, so that I can help myself to something off the cheeseboard. Nearly all supermarkets and stores have ready-made cheese boards - but it can be a lot of fun and usually more rewarding to create your own board.  So where to start? Well, logistically speaking, you’ll need to work out how many people you are catering for and whether or not you intend...

Read more →

Which milk is best?

Posted by Luke Dolby on

Which milk is best?

I’m often asked what is the best milk for cheese making and the short answer is “I’m really not sure.” There are so many variables to consider and so many different cheeses out there that a lot of it can be down to personal preference. Some people go crazy for a delicious crumbly feta in a Greek salad, other people love a Manchego made from ewe’s milk. There is a bewildering amount of choice out there and it can get confusing. There isn’t a wrong answer as such - but there are steps you can take when selecting your milk...

Read more →


Sale

Unavailable

Sold Out