Author: admin

I have made a blue stilton (made approx. 6 weeks and forming its 2nd crust), Cheshire (made approx. 4 weeks) and a white stilton with apricots (made approx. 3 weeks ago). I have them at 10 degrees in a wine chiller fridge. The Cheshire and white stilton with apricots are wrapped in waxed paper, but have noticed blue mould forming on the cheese. Is this normal? – do they need storing differently? – do I remove the mould?

Mould ripened cheese need to be stored completely separately from non-mould ripened cheese, otherwise there will be cross contamination, which appears to be happening here. Blue and white mould ripened cheese need to be stored separately from each other. They can be stored in the same area, as long as they are in different sealed […]

I am making blue cheese with your Roquefort culture. All seemed well until about 2 weeks or so after making the cheese, a definite ‘ammonia’ smell developed. I increased the air to the cheese and sprinkled with salt, this helped tremendously, however there is still a faint whiff of ammonia. Is it safe to eat?

Ammonia is a clue the blue mould is ripening the cheese and is quite normal. If very strong it suggests there is not enough ventilation, but this is difficult with single cheeses, too much ventilation and the cheese dries out too far. The cheese should not taste of ammonia, but suggest letting it come to […]

I am thinking of making a hard cheese with chives. When should the chives be added?

It is always better to include vegetable matter into cheese once it is ripe, rather than putting it in on the curd, as the material can rot. Break up a mature cheese, add flavourings and repress. Generally a light pressure for an hour will be sufficient.

I am making a hard cheese and have waxed the cheese by dipping, but if mould does form under the wax, how am I to know. Does it appear through the wax? 

If the cheese is completely dry when you waxed it, mould is unlikely to grow under the coat. If still damp, the wax cannot stick allowing air pockets to form where mould is likely to grow. Mould is more difficult to detect under coloured wax, but if the coat is loose, there is a high […]