I stumbled across this delightful cheese about two months ago, mainly because of a craving that my wife Kim had for a certain type of cheese.
She had recently tasted a “Pickled Onion” style cheese that had been commercially processed, and asked me if I could find a cheese that resembled it.
Well, after a little bit of research in my cheesemaking book library, I found a recipe for making Cotswold cheese. This is a Double Gloucester style cheese with the addition of dried onion and chives.
As I glanced through the recipe, I noticed that it had some major omissions. So I rewrote it so that it would produce the desired outcome for the eight litres (2 gal) of milk that I wanted to use. I made the cheese using non-homogenised milk and I am quite pleased with the result.
It has turned out well (so far). Instead of waxing, I chose to vacuum pack this wheel. It smells like the real deal and I just love the way the chives distributed evenly throughout the cheese.
The finished product is still in the cheese fridge, so once it is mature, I will process the video that I took whilst making the cheese, and share it with all of you.
I am going to crack it open on Sunday (Fathers Day in Australia), so stay tuned for a taste test and if I get time, a new video tutorial!
Hey Gavin… so where is the actual recipe? All I’m seeing is the article.
Is vacuum packing good to keep the mold away? I'm looking for a good alternative to cheese wax and have had hit-and-miss results. Tried aging them in plastic bags but they still got moldy! Thoughts?
Bethany, I haven't had anything go mouldy in a vac-pack. I suppose mold needs air to grow (hence the need for holes in blue cheese) and I've had some trouble with tiny (virtually invisible) pin holes in wax letting air in and allowing mold to grow under the wax.
Carole is spot on Bethany. The lack of air prevents the mould from growing in the vacuum packed cheese. When I wax cheese, I ensure the wax is hot (over 90C), and that I apply many coats.
Gav x
Awesome! Thank you so much! I am definitely going to try the vacuum sealing.
I've made a few of these with variable results, mostly because of variation in the fat content of my milk. Nevertheless, it's a favourite on the cheeseboard. The one that sells in the shops is a 'club cheddar'. I think that means it's been partly matured then milled and re-pressed with flavourings. Do you know much about club cheddar, Gavin?
Hi Carole. No I haven't heard of club cheddar.
Gav x
Hi Gavin. Is this the recipe in Tim Smith's book? I made this a couple of years ago dutifully following his recipe and thinking it was odd that there was no salt in the recipe…….the result was terrible. Such a weird taste with no salt. So I am assuming that was the major omission you mention. How much salt did you add and was there anything else I missed?
Hi Sue. Yes salt was one of the omissions. Also the measurements for the dried onions and chives, and when to add them. There was another, but can't remember at the moment.
Once I try this cheese on Sunday, I will release the recipe.
Gav x
And yes, it was Tim Smith's book. The more I read it, the more errors I find.