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Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

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About

I have a confession to make.  My name is Gavin Webber and I am cheese crazy.  You would class me as an amateur cheese maker or artisan if you will, who is mad about making his own cheese at home.  In fact I like cheese making so much that I make at least 1 kg (2.2lbs) of cheese of various types every couple of weeks.

I started making cheese as a hobby back in March 2009 after attending a cheese making class at our local community house in Melton, Victoria, Australia.  It was an exciting day indeed, and I will be posting about it later on in this blog.

How does it taste, I here you ask?  Well, let me tell you that once you have made your own cheese, you will never buy store-bought stuff again.  The only problem you will have is keeping up with demand!

So far I have had experience making the following cheese types;

Feta, Wensleydale, Farmhouse Cheddar, Emmental, Stilton, Camembert, Parmesan, Ricotta, Romano, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Ossau-Iraty with green peppercorns, Caerphilly, Mozzarella and many others.

Farmhouse Cheddar drying before waxing

 

While you are on the site checking out all the free recipes, don’t forget to check out the Little Green Cheese Podcast.  It is full of advice and tips for newbie and advanced curd nerds alike.  There are over 40 episodes to listen to and you can subscribe using your smart phone, tablet, or PC/Mac.

You can also find me on my YouTube channel Cheeseman.tv where there are dozens of cheese making video tutorials for you to watch.  Many of those videos are embedded into posts on this site.

If you are into sustainable living, check out my other blog, The Greening of Gavin.   There you can learn about organic food gardening, climate change, peak oil, backyard chickens, solar power, fruit trees, composting and worm-farming and all other topics that make up the sustainable living ethos.

Also, if you are in the market for cheese making supplies, equipment and ingredients, then pop over to my cheese kit page for more information.

So break out the crackers and stay put for an exciting cheesy adventure.

Comments

  1. Corey Lynch says

    03/11/2020 at 06:44

    Hi Gavin, I’ve been watching your videos for a while, and like so many others I decided to give it a go, while we have some time to kill. I’m making the Havarti you have on your channel. I had a question that I can’t seem to find an answer to. What types of smells/aromas can I expect through the ripening process? What is considered a “bad smell”, indicating a cheese has spoiled and should be discarded?
    Cheers, Corey

    Reply
  2. Vee says

    25/07/2020 at 16:16

    Hi Gavin, With covid restrictions, we turned to making our own cheese after watching hours and hours of your videos. Today, we taste our first cheese – Camembert. We are disappointed that the white mould didn’t form but it taste like goats cheese. Is this a normal mistake outcome and can anything else be done at this late stage to make it more Camembertish?
    Cheers Vee

    Reply
  3. Ulrich says

    17/02/2020 at 21:45

    Hi Gavin,

    Influenced/infected with the home made cheese virus by Herbert from Austria. He sent me to your website and youtube channel. My home location is Germany.

    Question. Did you ever try to use fenugreek seeds in a gouda like cheese? This kind is a popular cheese made from goat or cow milk in Germany. I have seen the recipe and video for Romano Pepato which explains the process for pepper but this is a larger size ingredient. For example I am experimenting with different herbs where I would not add the water to the milk after simmering process unless the chees should be green finally.

    The fenugreek seed itself is quite bitter, even after cooking. Do you have a hint for adding ingredients like herbs, seeds into the curd before giving it into the mould?

    Kind regards
    Ulrich

    Reply
  4. Herbert says

    23/12/2019 at 21:55

    Hi Gavin,
    I´m form Austria and started chees making a few weeks befor with recipes from your youtube channel – the saerano/pepper chees and a Stout cheddar with my own belgian trappist beer. It works well and so manyy thanks for all your work.
    Have you tried to make the italian Taleggio chees.
    Thanks
    Herbert

    Reply
  5. Gaurav jaggi says

    21/11/2019 at 03:39

    Hi Gavin, I got in touch with wensleydale creamery. They told me they don’t add the cranberries during pressing. They said they mature the cheese and then add the cranberries so that the cranberries doesn’t absorb any salt or other flavour from the cheese. They said In a blender, break up the cheese, add the cranberries, put it through an extruder and press the cheese and the cranberries back into the desired shape.all videos on youtube show cranberries being put during pressing along with dry salting. So it would be really nice to know your view.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      29/11/2019 at 06:45

      Hi Gaurav, Yes, I believe they are correct. After all, they are the originators of the recipe. My version was aimed at the home cheesemaker, specifically with a Wensleydale style cheese as this cheese has a more subtle flavour. I found that the cranberries did retain some of their sweet/tartness.

      Reply
  6. Gaurav jaggi says

    20/11/2019 at 23:48

    Hi gavin, I am from India. around the 18th of October I made a batch of gouda infused with dried cranberries. I pu it in a brine solution. After about a month I tasted it. The cranberry is not sweet. It’s a little salty and tarty. Just want to know when I put cranberry before pressing should I just add salt as in dry salting and not put the cheese in brine? Does it help the cranberry retain its sweet tarty flavour?. Regards gaurav

    Reply
  7. Laura says

    09/07/2019 at 08:13

    Hi Gavin,
    I have had a request to make a salt free cheese. Salt is generally added at the end (flavour and preservative) but is it possible to skip this step and still have an edible cheese? Which cheese would you recommend for this experiment? 😁

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      18/07/2019 at 16:35

      I think that Schiz is your best bet. https://youtu.be/fWQYI3ktJQ4

      Reply
  8. Mark Longley says

    26/04/2019 at 00:20

    Hi Gavin, In your Caerphilly recipe you suggest using a cloth dipped in brine solution to remove any
    unwanted molds during the aging process. This technique didn’t seem to work very well for me as some
    molds are quite tenacious.
    Would you be concerned if, as an alternate method, I use a knife to physically scrape off the molds and/or
    use vinegar to ‘wash’ the cheese and then dry it before returning it to the ripening box. Of course, I could
    rub salt or brine onto the rind to reestablish the salt coating after each cleaning. Many Thanks. Mark

    Reply
  9. Harriet Rapley says

    07/11/2018 at 02:28

    Hi Gavin, I am really enjoying your videos thank you. I have been making cheese properly for about 18 months now and loving it. However I only discovered your site about 6 months ago and have made the marbled cheddar, fourme d’ambert, manchego and several others, I have gained so much information from the videos. After a long very hot summer here in Greece I am desperate to make some cheese but need some advice please. I want to make a parmessan style cheese however in 3 months time we are going away, to NSW for 2 months, my question is can I vacuum pack my cheese after 3 months and leave it in my wine cooler “cave” whilst we are away. Hattie

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      07/11/2018 at 15:19

      Hi Hattie, yes that would probably be okay as long as the parmesan has been either waxed or vacuum packed before you go away.

      Reply
      • Harriet Rapley says

        07/11/2018 at 18:12

        Thank you for your swift response, I shall go in search of some nice fresh milk and get my cheese made.We are also visiting Melbourne on our travels. Hattie

        Reply
  10. Kiera Krueger says

    03/11/2018 at 12:16

    Hi Gavin in your cheese curd video…you dont mention continuous temps? After each section of cheese making….do you return to temp 90 or temp 120?

    Reply
  11. faycal says

    23/01/2018 at 20:08

    hi gavin. please do you make edam cheese with different taste

    Reply
  12. Jose Astete says

    15/12/2017 at 03:43

    Gavin, Thank you for all your good videos I been watching videos since I was living in Canada.
    my question is I would like to make cheese and I will be able to get ROW milk close to my house, same people say that you have to PASTEURIZED it to 72.77 C for 15 second and others say to 63 C for 30 minutes, what is the correct answer to the question.

    Thank you,

    Jose Astete Aedo

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      23/12/2017 at 13:28

      Hi Jose. Both are correct, however, the lower temperature method is better for cheese makers.

      Reply
  13. Ron Gitaitis says

    19/10/2017 at 14:11

    Wanted to send a thank you for all of your YouTube videos. I recently retired and needed an additional hobby to occupy my time. Being partially disabled I chose cheese making as a second hobby (I’ve been painting landscapes since the 1980’s). My first attempt at making a cheese was a disaster. A local friend told me all milk is not created equal and she had problems with the milk source I used when she tried to make cheese. Even though the labels were identical, i.e. whole milk, pasteurized but not ultrapasteurizef etc, the milk I bought never produced a curd that would give a clean break. However the milk she recommended produced a nice curd break when I tried it Long story short I had success in making a Monterey Jack on my second attempt. At least it looks good, will have to wait a couple of months for a taste test. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Ron Gitaitis
    Tifton, Georgia
    U.S.A.

    Reply
  14. Jim Boucher says

    16/10/2017 at 09:22

    After a two-year hiatus I am once again going to make cheese. I’ve had three successful Cheese’s out of six attempts. My goal is to gives wheels of waxed cheese for Christmas to my friends and family but I need to know that it’s good so I need to get better at it. I’m glad I found Gavin’s YouTube videos and podcasts. I do have a question I would like the address to anyone’s listening. Just before waxing my wheel of cheese is it okay to cut it into quarters so I would have four segments to age and enjoy at different times? It could be that I should cut it into quarters as soon as it’s finished pressing so the new cut faces dry and age equally with the rest. Or it may be a bad idea for a reason I’m unaware of. Hopefully somebody can set me straight. Thanks. Jim.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      18/10/2017 at 14:16

      Hi Jim, I think I may have answered this on on the live stream this morning, but it is better to keep the cheese wheel intact for maturation, then once matured, cut into wedges and rewax for storage in the kitchen fridge. By keeping the cheese wheel intact, you get a better fat distribution and enzyme development during ageing.

      Reply
      • Jim Boucher says

        18/10/2017 at 17:16

        Thanks, Gavin. Thanks for a personal response. You must be busy. Listened to the live chat today. Appreciate your tips and advice. I’ll cut and rewax a successful wheel for gifts. Will the relaxed portions continue to age well or should they be eaten?
        My wife will be out of town next week so I’ll be making cheese!
        I have a mini fridge with thermostat and hydrometer so a decent cave. How do I get good air circulation there?
        Thanks! Jim
        When I retire in a few years I may need to visit down under to taste your cheese.

        Reply
      • James B Boucher says

        19/10/2017 at 10:36

        Hi Gavin.
        I’ve been watching your videos and getting ready to get back to cheesemaking. I viewed the milk heating video and I can replicate your ‘pot on a pot’ method. You have gas heat which is instant on and off. I have a stove with a glass top. Not so instant. Of course I can remove the pot on pot system if needed but am hoping for a better way.
        My question is about the curd cooking step when the milk temperature must increase very particularly and slowly over time. Even with your pot on pot system, how do you get the precise and slow increase over a 30 minute period of time? Gas would give you better control but you must be glued to the stove turning the gas on and off constantly…am I right? Without gas I picture myself moving the pots off and on the burner or lugging them to the sink to cool off if temps rise too quickly. Your thoughts?
        Also, I can’t find a nice ‘curd cutter’ tool except for $40 bucks. Consider making and marketing one. I envision an expandable (thin metal?) frame for width AND height with holes spaced for all the sizes needed. Then fishing line would string through it all for cutting and this could be replaced easily for sanitation and/or changing width, height, or spacing.
        Thanks for helping the aspiring cheesemakers gain the confidence to ‘relax and make cheese’.
        Jim in Oregon

        Reply
  15. kevin scoles says

    22/05/2017 at 07:10

    I found this project Gutenberg book Hints for cheese making 1870. Maybe you even have it.
    Maybe you find it Intriguing.

    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43323/43323-h/43323-h.htm

    Reply
    • Glenn Spencer says

      12/03/2019 at 13:44

      Many thanks to Kevin Scoles for the link he posted.The section on cheddaring was outstanding. A goldmine of hard-won old-school wisdom!

      Reply
  16. Kerrie says

    31/03/2016 at 07:18

    Hi Gavin I was going to make some cheese to enter the royal sydney show it appears from the eligibility criteria that u have to be a commercial producer do u have any experience in this area hoping u can help regards kerrie wade

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      07/04/2016 at 09:27

      Hi Kerrie, I only have limited experience in entering cheese competitions. There are some amature shows around (Red Hill Cheese Show), and the country ones are more likely to accept entries.

      Reply

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Podcast Reviews

  • Love it. Keep it up!
    February 12, 2022 by Corknip from Denmark

    Excellent podcast. Started the home making adventure last month and have been catching up on all the past episodes and YouTube videos. it is a gold mine of shared knowledge. Thank you!

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

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