SAY CHEESE

Start with fresh whole milk

No one really knows who made the first cheese, but, according to one ancient legend, it was made accidentally by an Arabian merchant crossing the desert. The merchant had put his drinking milk in a pouch made from a sheep’s stomach. The natural rennin in the lining of the pouch, along the heat in the pouch, caused the milk to coagulate and then separate into curds and whey. 

My daughter gave me a cheesemaking kit at Christmas. That cheesemaking kit sat idly on the kitchen cabinet since 2019.  I looked at it again and again and said to myself : "One day I will get round to making my own cheese". Then finally I was in the right place and I had enough time to open that lovely cheesemaking kit for the first time and inside - everything I needed to make my own cheese.

The kit contained rennet tablets, citric acid, salt for cheesemaking, a cheese thermometer, a muslin cloth to strain the whey from the curds and two recipes.  One recipe to make Farmhouse cheese and another recipe to make Feta cheese.  I chose the Farmhouse cheese recipe.

With my lovely, rich raw milk from the farmer who farms and milks a large herd of jersey cows just round the corner from me I started the process, very tentatively.  Everything worked perfectly just like the recipe said.  Very soon I had rich, thick curds in my stainless steel pot waiting to be cut and drained.  The muslin cloth held the curds perfectly and with a weight on top to squeeze out all the whey I woke up early in the morning to a perfectly delicious Farmhouse Cheese.

I have learned that everything is doable.  Yes, even making your own cheese!