Say Cheese!
Well, this is my first attempt at making cheddar cheese! I spent about 4 hours yesterday making it from scratch (10 litres of farmhouse milk, rennet, culture, big pans and a lot of patience!). I removed it from the press today (above) and will brine it and store it. This one I intend to test/eat in 6 weeks time. I'm making two more this week - one I will leave to mature until when my folks arrive and the other I will (try) and keep for 18 months.
I learnt this craft on a one-day cheesemaking course run by NZ's famed cheesemaker and author, Katherine Mowbray. The course was held at Langdales Winery just down the road from us in West Melton. It was a great day and I met so many interesting ladies (no men turned up!) from all walks of life - there were geologists, food writers, artists, chefs, hoteliers and even a lady from Zambia who used to run a huge cheese factory there...
We learnt to make feta, cheddar, ricotta, haloumi and mascarpone! Now I need to find a local dairy farmer who can give me 10litres of raw milk at a time!
Can't wait to taste it along with our wines which have now been racked off and are clearing nicely!
Labels: canterbury, cheesemaking, emigrate, immigration, new zealand
posted by Helen Leggatt @ 10:50 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
wow isnt it a small world, I spent 3 yrs of my childhood in Zambia...wish I could stay at home and make cheese...make wine...well make anything really. one week and I am fed up of having to work..ho hum thats how the cookie crumbles...ooh I have cooking on the brain..Ha ha
have fun living the "good life"..now where did I put that lotto ticket?
WOW! That is some cheese Gromit!
Sounds like great fun and you get to eat the results.
I shall be checking in 18 months to see if cheese number 3 is still there ;)
Smiler
Congrats on making your own cheese, and thanks for dropping by our blog this evening. That's serendipitous timing since I was catching up with your blog just this morning. And only last week I was rereading a sample builders report you were kind enough to send us through the enz forum.
Love the gorgeous chickens!!!
Cannot wait to return to NZ...not long now and hopefully can find a course in cheese making Oh i just love me cheese....thanks Helen for comments on our blog.
You make it sound so easy.....
Mick & Sherren
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