Learn About Cheese
The best cheese-making books
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…
Where to buy cheese-making equipment in the UK
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…
Farmer, ice-cream maker and cheese producer – read about a visit to Doddington Dairy to meet real pioneers of cheese making and farm diversification…
Nestled on the border between England and Scotland, Doddington Farm is almost as far north in England as you can get. And allegiances up here are mixed; indeed the Maxwell…
What are the crunchy crystals found in hard cheese?
Well, if you thought it was table salt, you’d be wrong! We do know what causes the crystalline white deposits found within hard cheeses. It isn’t common salt, and in…
Farming at Hafod Cheese – a year in review, as told by herdsman Nick Millard
The farm began 2017 under a substantial cloud of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). Unfortunately we had a quite terrible test result just before Christmas 2016 and were counting down the days…
Natural cheese-making and making your own lactic acid ‘starter culture’: is it the panacea of farmhouse cheese-making?
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…
What is starter culture for cheese and what does it do?
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…
Creamy Cais Na Tire Pasta Carbonara – cheesemaker Barry Cahalan’s recipe
Follow Cais na Tire cheesemaker Barry Cahalan’s recipe for making his favourite dish using his cheese: Serves three Ingredients 220g pasta (penne or tagliatelle), uncooked 170 g pancetta or streaky…
Cheese Chats Episode 4: Barry Graham on the revival of British Farmhouse cheeses
An in-depth video interview with Barry Graham, who was at the forefront of the raw-cheese British cheese-making revival in the 1980’s. Starting with just four Ayrshire cows and a parcel…
Barry Graham of Loch Arthur – one of the pioneers of the British Cheese revival
Farmhouse British cheese has seen an enormous revival in recent years with brand new Bries, blues and brilliant bloomy goats’ cheeses. But things were not always thus; for many years…
Cheese Chats Episode 3: Martin Gott on ‘Natural’ Cheesemaking
An in-depth video interview with Martin Gott, maker of St James Cheese and one of Britain’s foremost cheese-makers. In this 50-minute podcast, Andy & Kathy of The Courtyard Dairy chat…
Cheese Chats Episode 2: Andrew Hattan on Upland Farming in The Dales
Andrew Hattan, of Low Riggs Farm in Nidderdale, who makes Stonebeck Cheese talks to Andy of The Courtyard Dairy. In this hour-long podcast and video Andrew talks on his experiences…