Making & Ageing Cheese

There are thousands of cheese-making books out there. And they all vary. Some are uncomplicated and easy to use, others go into great detail. Over the years at The Courtyard…

The rapid growth of farmhouse and small-scale artisan cheese-making in the UK has seen a matching growth of suppliers of cheese-making equipment, starter cultures, moulds and bacteria, keen to supply…

What is natural cheese-making? Natural cheese-making essentially involves cheese-makers making their own starter cultures rather than buying-in commercial starter cultures to make cheese.  But it is difficult to do, and…

The term ‘starter culture’ is used to describe bacteria specially grown to ‘start’ the transformation of milk into cheese. A starter culture is used in the making of the vast…

A couple of years ago, Andy got a visit from Gillian Clough. Gillian loves goats, specifically Anglo Nubian (big floppy eared) goats. Her passion had taken her to breed (and…

Advice for shop owners on how to mature, look after and age cheese; most cheese shops across the land will state that they ‘mature’ or ‘age’ cheese.  But what does…

Read about the different Lancashire cheeses: crumbly, creamy and tasty.  Find out more about how they came about and what makes them taste so different!

I frequently get contacted by budding keen cheese-makers, including owners of small farms that want to find a way to use their milk, looking to make cheese on a commercial…

If you want to learn how to make your own cheese, the best place to start may be a cheese-making course, of which there are many throughout the UK.

View a…

An explanation of the methods of classifying cheese by how it is made.

The English have a trump card – Stilton.  An elderly English cheesemonger once visiting me in France once said: “The French still can’t do the blue ones, eh?”  To be…

Finn was created in Sevenoaks as Britain’s first cream-enriched cheese (often called double or triple cream cheese) and is named after Charlie Westhead’s dog at the time (Finn is Irish…

Cheese mites. An age-old enemy. They revel in life’s lactic joys , burrowing they way deep into the rind. Slowly but surely eating their way through dry, aged cheese, turning…

Rennet is one of the most important tools in making any cheese.  But how does it work and what does it do?

Read more by clicking the link below.

Rennet is essential in cheesemaking, but with more and more vegetarian cheeses on the market how does vegetarian rennet fit in?  And how is it different from ‘traditional rennet’?  Does it affect the flavour?…

Getting my hands-upon a frayed ancient cheesemaking book by Dora Saker was the start of my investigations into ancient cheesemaking techniques…

I’ve been thinking about moulds. At Mons there is an excellent balance, which has built up over many years. But they still need encouraging and pointing in the right direction…

An apprenticeship in cheese ageing …. Andy’s latest update from Mons Fromages, with more information on what Andy is learning about the importance of spruce boards and beautiful bacteria  like…

After a successful first month working with the affinage experts at Mons I thought I’d better explain the layout of Mons and each of the caves here, and what they…

Read part one of my journey into the world of cheese ageing at Mons Fromager & Affineur.

From arriving for my apprenticeship, pidgin French and making a fool of myself….