Self-Sufficiency: Cheese Making: Essential Guide for Beginners

129 Pages·2012·5.16 MB·English

by  Ash

Self-Sufficiency
Cheese
Making

Self-Sufficiency
Cheese
Making
Rita Ash
First published in 2009 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd London • Cape Town • Sydney • Auckland
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Copyright © 2009 text: Rita Ash
Copyright © 2009 artworks: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
Copyright © 2009 New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
Rita Ash has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
eISBN 978 160765 250 2
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CONTENTS
Introduction
A brief history
The basics
Making cheese
Recipes
Taking cheese further
Selling cheese
Glossary
Suppliers
Index
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
I learnt to make cheese with the aid of a 1947 British Ministry of Food pamphlet found in
the library of an agricultural college and by asking questions of cheese-makers. For over
30 years I have been making cheese, teaching others to make cheese and facilitating small-
scale commercial cheese-making enterprises. I have made cheese from many types of milk
and in many different environments, and I can vouch that good cheese can be made under
the most primitive conditions, even in a mud hut on a charcoal burner.
This book, not intended for those living in a mud hut but for those with access to
modern facilities, explains the processes involved in making cheese, covers which cheeses
you might like to make and includes a selection of recipes for both soft and hard cheeses,
with some suggestions for their usage. I’ve also given some advice for expanding from
making cheese in the kitchen to small-scale commercial production.
Traditionally the skill of cheese making has been passed by word of mouth as relatively
few formal instructions for making cheese existed. Despite this lack of direction cheese
makers the world over have produced delicious cheeses which were the forerunners of
today’s classic cheeses.
You do not need to be scientifically trained to make cheese, except, perhaps, when vast
quantities are at risk. Nor do you need to be an accomplished cook, although being a
good judge of taste, texture and smell helps a lot. Cheese making really is a simple
process and I hope that with the help of this book, and by simply giving it a go, you will
soon be able to make delicious cheeses to enjoy at home and perhaps sell too.
Throughout the text the I have tried to pass on not only my accumulated knowledge and
experience of cheese making, but also the sense of pleasure and satisfaction I still get
from having my hands in a vat of warm milk and caring for the cheeses produced.
Rita Ash