The Taste of Britain. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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СКАЧАТЬ of fine cheeses. This tradition, once vibrant in the British Isles, had almost died out during the 1940s under the impact of strict rationing.

      Sheep’s milk cheese may once have been made in southern England - indeed, it was the dominant type - but Beenleigh Blue was the first blue sheep’s milk cheese to be made in the area for many years. The milk comes from 2 flocks kept nearby the dairy. Devon Blue, made from milk of a designated herd not far distant, was developed in the mid-1980s; Harbourne Blue is a new addition to the range, made from goat’s milk from a single farm on the edge of Dartmoor.

      TECHNIQUE:

      Beenleigh Blue: the milk is heat-treated for 30 minutes before cheese-making commences. Starter is added, followed by vegetarian rennet and a culture of penicillium roquefortii; the curd is left for about 45 minutes, the exact time depending on the season, as this affects the quality of the milk. After cutting, the curd is stirred gently, then allowed to settle for about 15 minutes.The curd is broken by hand and packed into moulds, in which it remains for 2 days. The cheese is surface-salted, spiked after a few days, allowed to blue, and then wrapped in foil to stop the rind. The cheese is matured for up to 6 months. The methods for making Devon and Harbourne are very similar, but the first is matured for about 3 months. Season: Beenleigh Blue, made January-July, available September-February; Devon Blue, all year; Harbourne Blue, made all year, but the largest quantities are produced in the spring and early summer.

      REGION OF PRODUCTION:

      SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, DEVON.

      Cheddar Cheese

      DESCRIPTION:

      PRESSED COW’S MILK CHEESE. CHEDDAR IS PRODUCED IN MANY DIFFERENT SIZES WEIGHING 500G-30KG. THE TRADITIONAL SHAPE IS A CYLINDER. SMALL ONES ARE KNOWN AS TRUCKLES. CHEDDAR CHEESES WERE BANDAGED AND SMEARED WITH LARD TO PREVENT THE RIND FROM CRACKING AND TO REDUCE EVAPORATION, A PRACTICE WHICH SOME PRODUCERS STILL FOLLOW, ALTHOUGH OTHERS NOW DIP THE CHEESES IN YELLOW WAX. RINDLESS CHEESE, MADE BY THE CHEDDAR METHOD IN BLOCKS OF ABOUT 19KG, is NOW COMMONLY AVAILABLE. COLOUR: GOOD CHEDDAR IS AN EVEN PALE YELLOW. FLAVOUR: DEPENDS ON MATURITY. IN GENERAL IT IS RICH WITH A SHARP NOTE AND A NUTTY AFTERTASTE; SHARPNESS STRENGTHENS WITH AGE. SOME MANUFACTURERS OFFER SMOKED CHEESES OR ADD HERBS.

      HISTORY:

      The name is taken from the village of Cheddar on the southern edge of the Mendips. Points to note are a long history, the apparently consistent excellence of the cheese, a cooperative system for its production, and the way in which the techniques associated with it have spread around the world, though often abused. The name may mislead, however. Although first-class in the parish of Cheddar itself, this cheese was from the outset made throughout the county and the wider region. The name, it is suggested, was attached to the cheese because the fame of Cheddar Gorge defined the district of origin.

      Medieval records demonstrate that cheese-making was already undertaken in the region, but more precise information is not forthcoming until the modern period. In the seventeenth century, the communal pooling of milk to make very large truckles was a matter of remark although few of them can have been as large as the cheese made for Lord Weymouth that ‘was big enough to hold a girl of 13’. All the milk was contributed to a common dairy, or ‘cheddar club’ which meant each cheese could be much larger than those from small, individual herds, so making them fit for long maturing, which accounts for their excellent flavour. This set Cheddar cheese apart from much of the competition. Already, by 1662, they were ‘so few and so dear [that they are] hardly to be met with, save at some great man’s table’ (Rance, 1982). The system was also sufficiently scouted to be hinted at in a play by Aphra Behn in the late seventeenth century. Its high reputation continued. Rance notes that in the early eighteenth century, Cheddar was described as ‘the most noted place in England for making large, fine, rich and pleasant cheese’ and that milk was brought into the common dairy and the quantities noted down in a book kept for the purpose. Profit from selling cheese was given back in proportion to the amount of milk each person contributed. Cooperative cheese-making continued until the First World War. Cheeses were indeed very large, weighing 90-120 pounds (45-60kg); cheeses of up to one and a half hundredweight (about 90kg) were noted in Law’s Grocer’s Manual in the late nineteenth century.

      Detailed accounts of the Cheddar method date from an agricultural report of the late eighteenth century, but an exact recipe was not written down (or has not survived) for another 50 years. None the less, the routines associated with the cheese may have spread beyond the region earlier than this implies. Improvements in agriculture in the late nineteenth century benefited the cheese-makers, who made advances in both techniques and equipment, including the invention of the cheese mill and careful work on time, temperature and hygiene. Once perfected, the method became so identified with the cheese that it was known as ‘cheddaring’. This was generously exported around the world by the British, who left a trail of upstart ‘Cheddars’ whenever they colonized an area deemed suitable for production.

      The centralization of cheese-making during 1939-45 had significant effects on Cheddar. Firstly, official requirements for cheese to be of a specified moisture content (to enhance keeping qualities) led to the elimination of moister types. Secondly, the number of farms who resumed production after the war was greatly reduced. The introduction of rindless, block cheeses and frequent use of pasteurized milk further reduced the unique characteristics of Cheddar made in South Western England. Proliferation of soi-disant Cheddars blurred the popular concept of the real thing.

      Farmhouse cheese-making survives in the area, although some of the operations are semi-industrial in scale. Some makers still use unpasteurized milk to make truckle cheeses. A recent development is the introduction of rennet of vegetable origin, to cope with the increased demand for vegetarian foods.

      The designation Cheddar is unprotected, and much inferior cheese is made elsewhere under this name. ‘West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese’ has been awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

      TECHNIQUE:

      Cheddar cheese is produced by many manufacturers, large and small, using the basic recipe with slight individual variations. Both pasteurized and unpasteurized milk are used, according to the maker’s preference. The milk is heated to about 21°C and inoculated with starter culture (1-2 per cent, 5-15 minutes ripening); rennet is added and stirred in. After 30-40 minutes, cutting is begun, gently, to give curd pieces the size of wheat grains; once cut, stirring begins as the heat is raised. The curds and whey are thoroughly heated in the vat, and the temperature increased to 40°C over 40-50 minutes; the curd is continuously stirred until the correct firmness is achieved (judging this can only be achieved by experience). Acidity at this point is crucial; once the correct level is achieved, stirring ceases; the curd starts to mat, and the whey is run off. Cutting and turning, or cheddaring, is carried out either in the vat, or on a shallow tray or cooler. The object is to expel as much whey as possible. Firstly a centre portion of curd is removed to create a drainage channel; then the remainder is cut into large blocks which are turned; after 5-10 minutes the blocks are cut into smaller strips which are turned and piled higher; this process of cutting and turning continues for up to 90 minutes until the curd is judged sufficiently cool, well drained and acid. The curd is put through a curd mill to break it up. The curd is turned with a fork to keep it friable and allow salt to be mixed evenly (1kg salt to 45kg curd). The curd is broken into small pieces and put into cloth-lined moulds. The moulds are piled on top of each other to commence pressing, then placed in horizontal gang presses (in which several cheeses are pressed at once); when the whey starts to be expelled, the pressure is increased for 24-48 hours; the cheese is turned out 2-4 hours after the first pressing; the cloth wrung out in warm water and replaced and the cheese returned to the press; СКАЧАТЬ