This year I will pay tribute to several styles of cheese; creating videos and writing in depth about those cheeses here on my website.
First up: Cheddar, one of the “work horses” of cheese.
As early as the 12th Century, Cheddar was being produced in England near the Village of Cheddar. The natural limestone caves of the area provided the perfect humidity and a constant temperature for the aging of this iconic English cheese. Until the 19th century, Cheddar was made in what we now call the “traditional” manner. The original recipe may have been based on the French Cantal AOP.
Cliff notes on Cheddar production: Cheddar is both the name of this style of cheese and also a unique step in the process of making cheddar. Traditionally, after the initial separating of the curd and whey, the curds are cut into slabs and stacked on top of each other; flipped and stacked some more. This step known as “cheddaring” assists in the expulsion of more whey from the curd. After the cheddaring process is complete, the cheese curds are milled and pressed into moulds. At this point, I needed clarification as to when the cheesecloth is wrapped around the cheese/curds when making traditional cheddars. I turned to Mary Quicke of Quicke’s Tradition Cheddar who shared the following with me:
We line the cheese moulds with a thick cloth, a ‘scrim’, and fill with salted curd, punch and press up.
Next morning, we take out of press and dip cheese in hot brine to seal it, and put in a mould lined with a ‘smoother’, cotton, and like a heavy bedsheet, back into press
The following morning, we apply the muslin cheesecloth and lard, back in press to seat the cloth
On the fourth morning, we take out of the mould and send down to our nursery store.
Different makers do things differently, eg many use a plastic cloth, we find our scrims aid drainage. Most people don’t have a 3 day press, and we think it makes a better rind / less internal mould with our big cheeses to give them the time and work.
Immigrants from England brought cheddar cheesemaking processes with them. Around 1850, enter Jesse Williams, a cheesemaker in Rome, NY, who first industrialized the making of Cheddar and that’s where things started going down hill regarding the quality of Cheddar. Prior to Williams, cheesemakers in the Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York purchased cheese curds from farmers to make Cheddar. Williams began buying milk and making cheese “from scratch”. Over the next few years, Rome, NY, became a hub for cheesemaking. So much so that in 1866, Robert McAdams, a cheesemaker from Scotland, and his sons moved into the Rome area and created “American Cheese” – the beginning of the almost end of American Cheddar. The English will never forgive us for what we did to their beloved Cheddar… and who can blame them? (1)
However, today’s US Artisan Cheesemakers have reversed this trend and are making respectable, even superior, Cheddar Cheese. Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Fiscalini Bandage Cheddar and Beecher’s Flagship being three of an impressive list of American made Award-Winning Cheddars.
Cheddar is the second most popular cheese in the US (Mozzarella being the most popular thanks primarily to our addiction to pizza). US citizens consume about 11 pounds of Cheddar yearly (out of a total of 30 pounds of cheese).
Cheddar is the primary cheese in my line of Pepper Cheese Spreads and Premium Pepper Cheese Spreads. When making “comfort foods” like Mac n Cheese, I combine it with a more “meltable” cheese to avoid separation of the fat which can occur when only using Cheddar. (My first choice for mixing with Cheddar is Comte, the number 1 selling AOP cheese in France. You can read about my 2019 trip to The Jura to visit Comte farms, cheesemaking facilities and again facilities.) There are always no less than three to five different Cheddars in my Cheese fridge… always…
The video below showcases four Clothbound Cheddars all made in the UK. My good friend Geoff Adam Spinks, recently visited NE Georgia and brought these cheddars to me. Unlike the Cheddar PDO, which requires Cheddar be made with pasteurized milk, using vegetarian rennet, these four Cheddars are all made with raw cows’ milk and with animal rennet. They are “traditional” Cheddars.
These four cheddars are aged more than 60 days and none are a part of the PDO West Country Farmhouse Cheddar. Because these cheeses are aged longer than 60 days, they can be legally sold in the US. Geoff made a special trip to Neal’s Yard Dairy to procure these Cheddars for me… My English BFF!!!
The first cheese on my English Cheddar Cheese Board is Montgomery’s Cheddar. It is made using raw milk and using an animal rennet. Of the four cheddars today it is the driest and most friable. It is clothbound with lard and aged a minimum of minimum of twelve months at Jamie Montgomery’s farm in Somerset. At the edges, you’ll get an earthiness and from the center paste, you’ll find a nutty, brothy flavor profile.
Next up is Lincolnshire Poacher, one of the few Cheddars made on the east coast of England. I have been a Poacher fan since tasting it in Portland’s Cheese Bar. Also made using raw cows’ milk, LP develops a flavor profile that is reminiscent of toasted almonds with a tangy pineapple finish. Like Montgomery’s, it is aged a minimum of twelve months and has the earthy rind flavor found in traditional clothbound Cheddars.
Hafod Cheddar produced in the Wales and aged a minimum of six months will occasionally develop a natural blue vein. The cheesemaker used methods described in the 1917 Practical Cheddar Cheesemaking manual as the blueprint for creating his own recipe. The Holdens make this cheese from the raw milk of their Ayrshire herd which gives a lower yield but is richer in fat and protein. The farm sits on the Welsh coastline and the resulting cheese is grassy with onion notes and a saltiness from the waters of the Irish Sea.
The last cheddar on this board is from the Isle of Mull. Made by the Reade family, the farm is sustainable with its own hydroelectric plant, powering the farm using only water and wood. Located in NW Scotland, the herd is fed organic grass and whisky grain. In addition to the grain creating a boozy flavor profile, the cheddar has savory notes and finishes with a citrus zest. Aged a minimum of sixteen months
and made with raw milk using an animal rennet.
When available in the US, these cheddars average $36 to $43 per pound.
I highly recommend you read “Cheddar” Gordon Edgar and “The Last West Country Cheddar Cheese Makers” by Richard Green.
My thank to Neal’s Yard Dairy and Murray’s Cheese websites for supplemental information. I also reviewed Wikipedia for details on the cheddar process.
In addition to being an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
(1) https://romesentinel.com/stories/this-city-is-made-of-cheese-early-industry-in-rome,42342
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