Caerphilly cheese. Have you heard of it? Welsh in origin, it's one of the lesser known British Isle cheeses--at least here in the States. I had my first bite in the 2010s while attending a cheese science conference in Somerset, England. Somerset is a prime dairying area in South West England. In fact the conference was held at the family home of Jamie Montgomery right next to the well-known and very delicious Montgomery Cheddar company. At the time, I'd heard and written about Caerphilly, but never tasted a real British one. (Interestingly, Somerset is where two of the best known Caerphilly makers, Duckett's (pictured above) and Gorwydd Caerphilly, are made. Although, the Trethowan brothers, who developed Gorwydd, did so on their family farm in Wales before relocating production to England.
cheese
Geotrichum candidum: Fun Fungal Facts
I recently had a question from a newsletter subscriber about the cheesemaking microbe Geotrichum candidum. Specifically, the person wanted to know sources for the fungus for cheesemaking. Rather than try to answer this lengthy topic in an email, I decided a post on the subject might be fun to write. There are two very important … Continue reading Geotrichum candidum: Fun Fungal Facts
Excerpt #2: Mastering Basic Cheesemaking
Chapter 7: Rennet-Coagulated Semi-Firm Fresh Cheeses (From Mastering Basic Cheesemaking, 209 page ebook, 5.99 on Amazon) In our last chapter we introduced a bit of rennet to help create our cheeses. Now we’ll move on to the largest family of cheeses—those that rely completely on rennet for coagulation. Most will still use bacteria, too, … Continue reading Excerpt #2: Mastering Basic Cheesemaking
Excerpt #1 Mastering Basic Cheesemaking
I have just published on Amazon an ebook (5.99) for those just getting started making cheese. It is a different approach than any other beginning book available. The recipes are lessons, each one builds organically on the previous and adds a layer of skills and knowledge. I hope you will give the book a try … Continue reading Excerpt #1 Mastering Basic Cheesemaking