Enjoy our cheese

The diversity of cheeses available at the High Weald Dairy and beyond show how complex flavours can be developed from the same base ingredient, milk. Starting with a sheep, goat or cow milk gives a different flavour to begin with but the process of making and maturing also brings out different flavours. Taking a little time to taste cheese can help you appreciate it even more. Learn about our cheese, enjoy…

Learn about our cheese-making process

We craft a range of different cheeses from the sheep, cow and goat milk that is delivered to our farm daily. It still amazes us that from the same quality ingredient we can create the unique flavours and textures which characterise our cheeses from the soft and fluffy Sussex Slipcote to the nutty Duddleswell and from creamy St Giles to veined Brighton Blue. Watch our short introduction video about the dairy –

While each High Weald Dairy cheese is unique, the thing they have in common is that the entire cheese-making process, from pasteurisation to packaging, takes place in the dairy on our farm in West Sussex.

STEP 1

Pasteurisation

The milk we use to make our cheeses comes predominantly from within Sussex. In fact, some of it, including some of our organic cow’s milk, comes just a couple of miles from the neighbouring farm. These days, we have to look a little further afield to source our more specialist goat’s milk, which comes from Dorset, and sheep’s milk, which is brought in from both Sussex and Dorset. All our organic cow milk suppliers are members of the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative.

The milk arrives in raw form and the first step is to pasteurise it – this is done in a completely separate pasteurisation room and removes any unwanted bacteria that can affect the cheese-making process.

STEP 2

Coagulation

Much of the cheese-making process at the High Weald Dairy is done by hand but one of the few machines we do have is the large milk vat which can hold 3,000 litres of milk. Here is where the cheese-making process starts when a starter culture (a bit like yogurt) is added to the pasteurised milk, which is warmed to around 32 degrees centigrade.

After an hour or so, rennet is added to coagulate the milk. We use a natural microbial rennet, suitable for vegetarians, rather than the traditional animal rennet. After another hour, the milk has coagulated or “set” like junket. It is then ready to be separated in to solid curds and liquid whey.

STEP 3

Separating the curds and whey

After the initial coagulation, the curds are cut into different sized cubes, depending on the style of cheese required, using curd knives. The larger surface area created by cutting the curd allows more whey to drain out of the curds. This is left for one to two hours, and often heated up to 40 degrees centigrade (depending on the style of cheese required), during which time the lactose in the milk turns to lactic acid. The contents of the cheese vat, curds and whey, are drained on to a lipped table, where much of the whey is separated from the curds, and our cheese makers get to work scooping the curds into cheese moulds.

For hard cheeses like Ashdown Foresters, Tremain’s or Duddleswell it is the curds that are used while some soft cheeses, like ricotta, are made using just the whey. The cheese moulds have holes in so the whey can continue to drain out, and sometimes the cheeses are pressed to help form the cheese shape and create a sealed rind. How long it is left to drain depends on the cheese being produced.

STEP 4

Maturing the cheese

Our fresh soft cheese, Sussex Slipcote, does not require maturing and can be made one day, packaged the next and enjoyed by our customers the following day. Our semi-soft and hard cheeses however go through a longer maturation process, again the type of cheese being produced determines how long the maturation process takes.

Maturing takes place in our cool and airy cheese store where they sit on slatted timber shelves. They are turned one to two times a week to ensure even moisture throughout. They are also rubbed down which helps keep the naturally-occurring mould rind to a manageable level.

STEP 5

The finished product

Once our cheeses have been matured they are ready to eat. Some do not require anything more than a brush down before they are packaged ready for distribution while others are given a natural rind or are smoked over oak shavings in our on-site smokery. We sell our cheese in a number of ways from full rounds or truckles (up to four kilos in weight) to portioned pieces which are suitable for individuals.

All are packaged on site ready to be sold from our fridge at the farm, at farmers’ markets, farm shops, delicatessens, restaurants and selected multiple retailers.

How to taste our cheese

Now you’ve seen the love that goes into making our cheese it’s time to learn how to get the most enjoyment from it. As with tasting wine, you can use (almost) all the senses to help you appreciate the flavour of cheese. Most cheeses are best tasted when they have come to room temperature so it is a good idea to take your cheese out of the fridge about an hour-and-a-half before you intend to eat it. Fresh cheeses, like our Sussex Slipcote, are the exception to this rule and we would recommend leaving them out of the fridge for a maximum of half an hour before eating, any longer and the cheese continues to mature. If tasting a selection of cheeses, it is also a good idea to have some slices of apple and a glass of water to cleanse the palate between cheeses.

1

Look at your cheese

What colour is the rind? Is it moist, dry or cracked? Smooth or ridged?

This should give you an idea of the age of the cheese.

The colour of the cheese will give you an idea of which milk it has been made with.

Goat milk is whiter than any other, cow milk is more yellow.

2

Feel the cheese

Feel the cheese to test the texture.

Is it soft, crumbly, hard?

3

Smell the cheese

The flavour of the food we eat is sensed through a combination of smell and taste.

Most people will have experienced being unable to taste food when you have a blocked nose or heavy cold. Break a piece of cheese to release the aroma.

Smelling the cheese before you put it in your mouth will give you an idea of the taste and may reveal some of the subtle flavours.

4

Put the cheese in your mouth

Roll it around your tongue and push it against the roof of your mouth. This is where taste receptors are located and the basic flavour is detected through these – is it sweet, salty, acidic or bitter?

You can also note the texture of the cheese at this stage – is it smooth, creamy or crumbly?

As you swallow the cheese take a breath in through your nose to detect further flavours – is it nutty, buttery, smokey, farmyardy – or something else?

Take time to allow the flavours to come out from the initial taste to the finish.

But above all, simply take your time to taste and enjoy your cheese…

The language of cheese

Fresh/lactic – a tangy sour-cream impression

Earthy – think of freshly-turned soil

Farm/barnyard – in cheese terms this is usually a positive trait! It smells like a barn or cows.

Fruity – sweet and fragrant

Grassy – like a freshly-mown lawn, often linked to the animal’s diet

Ammonia – this could indicate that a cheese is off or over-ripe

Mushroomy – often found in bloomy rind cheeses

Goaty – the tangy flavour of goat milk

Umami – a meaty, salty complex flavour

Nutty – used for taste and aroma and often found in Swiss-type cheeses

Vegetable – sometimes the flavour of a specific vegetable can be detected

Nutritional benefits

Milk and dairy products like cheese are great sources of protein and calcium and can form part of a healthy diet. Protein is needed in the diet to help the body grow and repair itself while calcium helps us to develop strong bones and teeth.

Comparing notes

At the High Weald Dairy we make cheese from cow, sheep and goat milk, each of which has a different nutritional make up. All of our cheese is made using pasteurised milk which means it is safe for pregnant women to eat and we only use a vegetarian rennet which means our cheeses are suitable for vegetarians too.

Although the milk varies between breeds and the lactation, the table shown below is a typical analysis.

Milk contentSheepGoatCow
Total solids18.311.212.1
Proteins5.62.93.4%
Fats6.73.93.5%
Lactose4.84.14.5%
Calcium210132110mg per 100g
Zinc0.850.340.3mg per 100g
Riboflavin4.31.42.2mg per litre
Folic acid0.60.060.5mg per 100g
Calories1027773per 100g

If you are worried about cholesterol – remember that the level of fat does not necessarily relate to the level of cholesterol, 45% of the fatty acids in sheep milk are mono or polyunsaturated.

Food intolerance

Sheep and goat milk, yoghurt and cheeses can be a solution for people who are intolerant to cow’s milk providing a source of calcium. It is not suitable for people who are lactose intolerant. Both the Asthma Research Council and the National Eczema Society recommend that a switch to sheep or goat milk can help with the management of those conditions.

At the High Weald Dairy, we are particularly enthusiastic about sheep milk, from which we make many of our cheeses. Sheep milk is both higher in both fat and protein than cow or goat milk. This gives it a sweeter taste. It is also higher in calcium, zinc and B vitamins, as you will see from the table above.  The excellent grassland in Britain is ideal for sheep and they live outside most of the year. Sheep milk can be frozen due to the small fat and protein particles it will not separate out on defrosting and can be kept frozen for up to four months. A good online supplier for sheep milk is Ram Hall Dairy

Host your own cheese-tasting event

Start learning more about cheese with our dairy tours. When we attend shows and farmers markets we’re always happy for people to try our cheese to help them decide which cheeses they like best. Why not host your own by buying a selection of cheeses to share and enjoy with friends?

buy our Event Pack with expert notes to get you started