The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: bloomer on February 21, 2011, 05:12:26 pm

Title: cheese making supplies
Post by: bloomer on February 21, 2011, 05:12:26 pm
can someone point me in the direction of a good supplier?

need to do some research i have a plan cos i love cheese...
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: little blue on February 21, 2011, 06:01:56 pm
I make my own from our goats' milk.
I use either Moorlands  -  http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?page=home.html&cart_id=2555201_26618 (http://www.cheesemaking.co.uk/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?page=home.html&cart_id=2555201_26618)

or smallholding supplies.

sometimes odd bits come up on e-bay, but dont waste your money on stuff you can manage without.
  a thermometer is a must

get yourself a book first (Katie Thears' cheesemaking & dairying or something like that) and dont be frightened by talk of cheese presses or safe mould!!
  easy cheese is soft cheese....

good luck!  :)
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: Anke on February 21, 2011, 08:58:08 pm
Ascott Smallholding supplies has all you need. I have made quite a few cheeses, all fresh and mostly soft last year from my own goats milk. OH has just built a cheese press, as I think they are overpriced. Got some moulds, love to make coloummier!

I also use a yoghurtmaker all summer.
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: Greenerlife on February 21, 2011, 09:37:26 pm
I just went on a cheesemaking course fr a ay and am inspired!  Have used Ascott and I they were really good and helpful and quick!
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: cmorrell on February 28, 2011, 12:20:20 am
Perfect timing for this thread. I'd bought Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making book early last week and have been reading up on the basics since. Just placed an order for some equipment and starter supplies with Ascott an hour ago and looking forward to getting started!

I went with their top end starter kit, eventually. Had been going to start cheaper with the soft cheese kit, then spotted the press is also good for fruit and I've been wanting to learn to make cyder for a while now - seemed like a good chance to kill two birds with one stone ... and then make some form of cheese out of their carcasses (well I couldn't bring myself to defoul the pure pure cyder, could I?!).
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: northfifeduckling on February 28, 2011, 09:55:27 am
I'd love to make my own cheese but the thought of having to use supermarket milk is just offputting. Anyone has a goat or cow in Fife and too much milk , please, please, let me know  ;) :&>
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: cmorrell on February 28, 2011, 10:06:22 am
I tend to take the view that using less than ideal ingedients while learning is fine ... then once competent, find a source of good quality produce.

Supermarket milk definintely not ideal ... but by far the easiest and cheapest way to make errors initially  ;)
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: bloomer on February 28, 2011, 11:00:39 am
I tend to take the view that using less than ideal ingedients while learning is fine ... then once competent, find a source of good quality produce.

Supermarket milk definintely not ideal ... but by far the easiest and cheapest way to make errors initially  ;)

thats my plan practice on supermarket milk first then if happy with that source a better milk supply...
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: Greenerlife on February 28, 2011, 05:27:54 pm
Very excited as my very posh bain marie arrived this morning!  rushing off to the supermarket first thing tomorrow to do some of that mistake-making!  :P
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: McRennet on April 02, 2011, 11:10:46 pm
Hello, I'm a student of dairying so have had a fair bit of time to play with recipes and equipment!
If you are making a soft lactic cheese then a good ladle will be the making of the cheese. Coquard, based in france, do the best by far, they will last for years and make life much easier (and taste better!) It's pretty easy to order and get delivered.
Moorlands are good too.... but they do sell a lot of equipment that you can get much cheaper elsewhere, but it's not marketed as specific for cheesemaking.
Ascott are also good, don't bother with their butter churns though. Total waste of money, just use an empty jam jar if you are only making enough for one household.
If it's starters that you're after then I cannot recommend Orchard Valley highly enough. They are based in herefordshire and re-package the starters into quantities that are practical for a small cheesemaker. They also sell Rennet and Annatto.

Hope this helps,
McR

Oh, and if you are pre-draining the curd then go to ikea and buy a plain white pillow case, boil it, use it as you would the cheese cloths that are sold at 10x the price!
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: little blue on April 03, 2011, 05:11:33 pm
great advice McRennet .... any chance you can post up a few recipes / tips, especially for butter making (need some confidence to go beyind simple soft cheese, ice cream & yogurt!)
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: egglady on April 06, 2011, 07:59:38 pm
great thread - lots of useful advice here, thanks
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: ballingall on April 09, 2011, 09:46:33 am
great advice McRennet .... any chance you can post up a few recipes / tips, especially for butter making (need some confidence to go beyind simple soft cheese, ice cream & yogurt!)

Butter is VERY easy to make, far easier than cheese! And it is lovely


Beth
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: little blue on April 09, 2011, 08:43:25 pm
tell me!!
;D
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: Anke on April 09, 2011, 09:41:30 pm
Butter - just shake some ripe (just past its Use-by date) double cream in a jar (with lid on) once butter has formed, wash with lots of water, the keep kneeding it with a couple of forks and get all the water out. I have done it with shop-bought cream, but would love to have a try with my own goats milk cream... when I have a milking machine and about as many goats to milk as Beth....
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: little blue on April 09, 2011, 10:04:03 pm
brill, our goats milk is really, really creamy (bless you Geraldine, it was worth the wait!)
..so, if I collect it over a few days, do you think thats "ripe" enough?
thanks Anke - there was me thinking there was special trick to it!         ::)
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: ballingall on April 09, 2011, 10:22:51 pm
That's all we do little blue. We don't have a separator etc, we just put fresh milk into a big wide jug or a small milk pail, leave it in the fridge to cool for 12 hours or so. Use a big wide spoon to scrape the cream off the top- do that for a few days until you gather enough. By the time you have gathered enough it's getting ripe enough.

Then as Anke says, shake it until it turns to butter. You can use a hand held mixer to mix it until it turns instead which is slightly easier. Then rinse out with lots of water to get out the buttermilk, and we use wooden paddles to squeeze out the remaining water and to shape it into a rectangle. Add a sprinkle of salt if you want. And remember- it will not be yellow. It comes out white!


Beth
Title: Re: cheese making supplies
Post by: little blue on April 10, 2011, 09:09:46 pm
thanks Beth
 ... yes, I knew it'd be white! 
*watch this space!*