Kitabı oku: «The Taste of Britain», sayfa 2
Bath Cheese
DESCRIPTION:
UNPASTEURIZED, SOFT COW’S MILK CHEESE. DIMENSIONS: 8CM SQUARE, 2CM DEEP.
WEIGHT: 250G. COLOUR: CREAM, WITH WHITE MOULD SURFACE. FLAVOUR AND TEXTURE:
MILD, WITH SLIGHT ACID FLAVOUR, MELLOWING WITH AGE, CREAMY TEXTURE.
HISTORY:
Bath cheese is mentioned in several late-Victorian texts. Law’s Grocer’s Manual (c. 1895) said it was ‘a noted kind of soft creamy cheese’. Conditions imposed upon farm cheese-makers during the first half of the twentieth century were unfavourable for the soft, moist category of cheese to which this belongs. It was not made for many years until the current maker revived it in the 1980s.
TECHNIQUE:
Unpasteurized milk from one herd of Friesian cattle is used. Starter is added to milk at about 32°C, then animal rennet, and it is allowed to coagulate. The curd is cut to encourage whey separation to begin, and the curds and whey ladled into moulds placed on rush mats. The cheeses stand overnight. The surface is dry-salted, after which the cheese is left to dry 2 days at about 15°C. It is ripened in cooler conditions for 3-4 weeks. The cheese is made all year but is best in the autumn.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, BATH (SOMERSET).
Baydon Hill Cheese
DESCRIPTION:
AN UNPASTEURIZED COW’S AND SHEEP’S MILK CHEESE. WEIGHT: 2 SIZES, THE LARGER WEIGHS ABOUT 2.3KG; THE SMALLER ABOUT 450G. FORM: THE LARGER IS A TRUCKLE (TALL CYLINDER); THE SMALLER IS A ROUND OR LOAF, AS SUCH CHEESES ARE KNOWN LOCALLY. COLOUR: THAT OF THE COW’S MILK CHEESE IS GOLDEN YELLOW; THE SHEEP’S MILK VERSION IS A PALER, BUTTERY COLOUR; BOTH ARE WAXED WITH NATURAL BEESWAX. FLAVOUR AND TEXTURE: THE COW’S MILK CHEESE IS MILD AND CREAMY; THE SHEEP’S MILK CHEESE IS DENSER, WITH A SWEET RICH FLAVOUR.
HISTORY:
This is a modern version of a cheese formerly known as Wiltshire. Its history over the past 200 years is fairly well documented. It is related by method to Cheddar and Gloucester cheeses; as with the latter, both a thick and a thin version were known in the past. Val Cheke (1959) estimates that in 1798 5,000 tons of North Wiltshire cheese were made. This was said to be of excellent quality and in part was attributed to the particular method of dairying in Wiltshire which allowed for consistency in temperature and method. At this time, the milk of Longhorn cattle was used; these have long since been replaced by modern dairy breeds. As with Cheddar, there is some evidence for communal cheese-making. Small cheeses, known as Wiltshire loaves, and larger ones, similar to Gloucesters, are both recorded. A sheep’s milk cheese is now made to the same recipe.
The local cheese-making industry declined rapidly after 1914-18 and remained a memory until Jo Hale, a farmer’s wife, began her research in the late 1980s. She located a family recipe for North Wiltshire Cheese and has developed it for both sheep’s and cow’s milk under the name of Baydon Hill, where she lives.
TECHNIQUE:
The milk comes from a flock of British Friesland sheep, pastured in the valley of the River Avon, or from the maker’s herd of cattle, mostly Friesians with a little Guernsey, feeding on semi-permanent ley pasture. It is not pasteurized. The method is the same for both cheeses.
Starter is added, plus annatto, followed shortly afterwards by a vegetarian rennet, and the milk left for the curd to form. It is cut into cubes of roughly 1cm. The temperature is raised slightly and the curd stirred for about 100 minutes until the correct acidity is reached; then it is allowed to settle for a few minutes and the whey is drained off. The curd is cut in blocks and turned up to 5 times; the number of turns varies according to the state of the milk, and fewer turns may be required with the sheep’s milk curd. The curd is milled, salted and put into moulds. It is pressed for about 2 days, the cheeses being turned once. The cheeses are removed from their moulds; the larger ones are larded and bandaged, the smaller ones simply larded. They are stored for 4 months, turned daily for the first 6 weeks and once a week thereafter; then they are washed, dried, waxed and distributed.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST, WILTSHIRE.
Beenleigh Blue Cheese
DESCRIPTION:
THERE ARE 3 CHEESES IN THIS GROUP: DEVON BLUE (COW’S MILK); HARBOURNE BLUE (GOAT’S MILK), AND BEENLEIGH BLUE (SHEEP’S MILK). DIMENSIONS: BEENLEIGH BLUE: 14CM DIAMETER, 12CM DEEP; DEVON BLUE: 16CM DIAMETER, 12CM DEEP; HARBOURNE BLUE: ABOUT 16CM DIAMETER, 12CM DEEP. WEIGHT: 2.5-3KG. COLOUR: BEENLEIGH BLUE:
VERY PALE CREAMY YELLOW, WITH GREEN-BLUE VEINING; DEVON BLUE: VERY PALE CREAM, ALMOST WHITE, WITH PALE GREEN-GREY VEINING; HARBOURNE BLUE: ALMOST WHITE, WITH VERY SLIGHT GREEN TINT, GREY-GREEN VEINING. FLAVOUR AND TEXTURE: BEENLEIGH BLUE, RICH VELVETY TEXTURE, WELL-BALANCED FLAVOUR NOTES OF BLUE, SALT AND SHEEP, WITH UNDERLYING SWEETNESS; DEVON BLUE, FIRM TEXTURED AND SALTY, CARAMEL-LEATHER FLAVOUR NOTE; HARBOURNE BLUE, FIRM TEXTURE, INITIAL GOAT TANG, DEVELOPING INTO A RICH BLUE FLAVOUR.
HISTORY:
This cheese originated in the late 1970s in Devon. It arose in part from necessity, as the producer sought new markets for sheep’s milk; one answer was to make a blue cheese. The person who developed Beenleigh Blue and its sister cheeses, Robin Congdon, was one of a handful of pioneers in the artisan manufacture of fine cheeses. This tradition, once vibrant in the British Isles, had almost died out during the 1940s under the impact of strict rationing.
Sheep’s milk cheese may once have been made in southern England - indeed, it was the dominant type - but Beenleigh Blue was the first blue sheep’s milk cheese to be made in the area for many years. The milk comes from 2 flocks kept nearby the dairy. Devon Blue, made from milk of a designated herd not far distant, was developed in the mid-1980s; Harbourne Blue is a new addition to the range, made from goat’s milk from a single farm on the edge of Dartmoor.
TECHNIQUE:
Beenleigh Blue: the milk is heat-treated for 30 minutes before cheese-making commences. Starter is added, followed by vegetarian rennet and a culture of penicillium roquefortii; the curd is left for about 45 minutes, the exact time depending on the season, as this affects the quality of the milk. After cutting, the curd is stirred gently, then allowed to settle for about 15 minutes.The curd is broken by hand and packed into moulds, in which it remains for 2 days. The cheese is surface-salted, spiked after a few days, allowed to blue, and then wrapped in foil to stop the rind. The cheese is matured for up to 6 months. The methods for making Devon and Harbourne are very similar, but the first is matured for about 3 months. Season: Beenleigh Blue, made January-July, available September-February; Devon Blue, all year; Harbourne Blue, made all year, but the largest quantities are produced in the spring and early summer.
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, DEVON.
Cheddar Cheese
DESCRIPTION:
PRESSED COW’S MILK CHEESE. CHEDDAR IS PRODUCED IN MANY DIFFERENT SIZES WEIGHING 500G-30KG. THE TRADITIONAL SHAPE IS A CYLINDER. SMALL ONES ARE KNOWN AS TRUCKLES. CHEDDAR CHEESES WERE BANDAGED AND SMEARED WITH LARD TO PREVENT THE RIND FROM CRACKING AND TO REDUCE EVAPORATION, A PRACTICE WHICH SOME PRODUCERS STILL FOLLOW, ALTHOUGH OTHERS NOW DIP THE CHEESES IN YELLOW WAX. RINDLESS CHEESE, MADE BY THE CHEDDAR METHOD IN BLOCKS OF ABOUT 19KG, is NOW COMMONLY AVAILABLE. COLOUR: GOOD CHEDDAR IS AN EVEN PALE YELLOW. FLAVOUR: DEPENDS ON MATURITY. IN GENERAL IT IS RICH WITH A SHARP NOTE AND A NUTTY AFTERTASTE; SHARPNESS STRENGTHENS WITH AGE. SOME MANUFACTURERS OFFER SMOKED CHEESES OR ADD HERBS.
HISTORY:
The name is taken from the village of Cheddar on the southern edge of the Mendips. Points to note are a long history, the apparently consistent excellence of the cheese, a cooperative system for its production, and the way in which the techniques associated with it have spread around the world, though often abused. The name may mislead, however. Although first-class in the parish of Cheddar itself, this cheese was from the outset made throughout the county and the wider region. The name, it is suggested, was attached to the cheese because the fame of Cheddar Gorge defined the district of origin.
Medieval records demonstrate that cheese-making was already undertaken in the region, but more precise information is not forthcoming until the modern period. In the seventeenth century, the communal pooling of milk to make very large truckles was a matter of remark although few of them can have been as large as the cheese made for Lord Weymouth that ‘was big enough to hold a girl of 13’. All the milk was contributed to a common dairy, or ‘cheddar club’ which meant each cheese could be much larger than those from small, individual herds, so making them fit for long maturing, which accounts for their excellent flavour. This set Cheddar cheese apart from much of the competition. Already, by 1662, they were ‘so few and so dear [that they are] hardly to be met with, save at some great man’s table’ (Rance, 1982). The system was also sufficiently scouted to be hinted at in a play by Aphra Behn in the late seventeenth century. Its high reputation continued. Rance notes that in the early eighteenth century, Cheddar was described as ‘the most noted place in England for making large, fine, rich and pleasant cheese’ and that milk was brought into the common dairy and the quantities noted down in a book kept for the purpose. Profit from selling cheese was given back in proportion to the amount of milk each person contributed. Cooperative cheese-making continued until the First World War. Cheeses were indeed very large, weighing 90-120 pounds (45-60kg); cheeses of up to one and a half hundredweight (about 90kg) were noted in Law’s Grocer’s Manual in the late nineteenth century.
Detailed accounts of the Cheddar method date from an agricultural report of the late eighteenth century, but an exact recipe was not written down (or has not survived) for another 50 years. None the less, the routines associated with the cheese may have spread beyond the region earlier than this implies. Improvements in agriculture in the late nineteenth century benefited the cheese-makers, who made advances in both techniques and equipment, including the invention of the cheese mill and careful work on time, temperature and hygiene. Once perfected, the method became so identified with the cheese that it was known as ‘cheddaring’. This was generously exported around the world by the British, who left a trail of upstart ‘Cheddars’ whenever they colonized an area deemed suitable for production.
The centralization of cheese-making during 1939-45 had significant effects on Cheddar. Firstly, official requirements for cheese to be of a specified moisture content (to enhance keeping qualities) led to the elimination of moister types. Secondly, the number of farms who resumed production after the war was greatly reduced. The introduction of rindless, block cheeses and frequent use of pasteurized milk further reduced the unique characteristics of Cheddar made in South Western England. Proliferation of soi-disant Cheddars blurred the popular concept of the real thing.
Farmhouse cheese-making survives in the area, although some of the operations are semi-industrial in scale. Some makers still use unpasteurized milk to make truckle cheeses. A recent development is the introduction of rennet of vegetable origin, to cope with the increased demand for vegetarian foods.
The designation Cheddar is unprotected, and much inferior cheese is made elsewhere under this name. ‘West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese’ has been awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
TECHNIQUE:
Cheddar cheese is produced by many manufacturers, large and small, using the basic recipe with slight individual variations. Both pasteurized and unpasteurized milk are used, according to the maker’s preference. The milk is heated to about 21°C and inoculated with starter culture (1-2 per cent, 5-15 minutes ripening); rennet is added and stirred in. After 30-40 minutes, cutting is begun, gently, to give curd pieces the size of wheat grains; once cut, stirring begins as the heat is raised. The curds and whey are thoroughly heated in the vat, and the temperature increased to 40°C over 40-50 minutes; the curd is continuously stirred until the correct firmness is achieved (judging this can only be achieved by experience). Acidity at this point is crucial; once the correct level is achieved, stirring ceases; the curd starts to mat, and the whey is run off. Cutting and turning, or cheddaring, is carried out either in the vat, or on a shallow tray or cooler. The object is to expel as much whey as possible. Firstly a centre portion of curd is removed to create a drainage channel; then the remainder is cut into large blocks which are turned; after 5-10 minutes the blocks are cut into smaller strips which are turned and piled higher; this process of cutting and turning continues for up to 90 minutes until the curd is judged sufficiently cool, well drained and acid. The curd is put through a curd mill to break it up. The curd is turned with a fork to keep it friable and allow salt to be mixed evenly (1kg salt to 45kg curd). The curd is broken into small pieces and put into cloth-lined moulds. The moulds are piled on top of each other to commence pressing, then placed in horizontal gang presses (in which several cheeses are pressed at once); when the whey starts to be expelled, the pressure is increased for 24-48 hours; the cheese is turned out 2-4 hours after the first pressing; the cloth wrung out in warm water and replaced and the cheese returned to the press; the next day the cheese is bathed for 5-10 seconds in warm water and returned to the press with light pressure; later the same day, the cheese is changed into a dry cloth and greased with melted lard which is rubbed thoroughly into the surface of the cheese; then the cheese is pressed for another 24 hours; after removal from the press, another bandage is applied. Ripening is at 8-9°C and a relative humidity of 86°; the cheeses are turned every day and cleaned to remove mould.
The production of block cheddar is similar until the moulding stage is reached. Then it is pressed into blocks. On removal from the press, it is wrapped in film to exclude air, and the cheeses are then strapped under pressure and transferred to the ripening room.
Cheddars sell at various degrees of maturity: mild (6 months after making); mature (9-12 months); extra-mature (over 12 months).
REGION OF PRODUCTION:
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND.
Clotted Cream and Clotted-Cream Butter
DESCRIPTION:
CLOTTED CREAM IS THICK, WITH A SOLID, PALE GOLDEN CRUST. IT CONTAINS 55-60 PER CENT BUTTERFAT.
HISTORY:
Clotting cream is really a means of lightly preserving it; when ordinary cream has been transformed into clotted cream it will keep in a cool place for about 2 weeks, as opposed to a few days. The method is probably very ancient and similar products are known in western Asia. Early references to clotted, or clouted, cream can be found in English texts from the sixteenth century onwards. The first mention cited by the Oxford English Dictionary is Boorde’s Dyetary of Helth (1542). A multitude of descriptions and references exist from the seventeenth century and later. Even the earliest references make clear that it was a regional product. Recipes show that the method for making it has remained essentially unchanged for 400 years.
This is a region with a mild climate, rich pasture lands, and a traditional cattle breed yielding milk with a high butterfat content, all factors conducive to the development of specialist dairy produce. Law’s Grocer’s Manual (c. 1895) remarks on ‘the increasing fancy for this delicacy’; that a regular sale for it was springing up in all large towns, and that the best was thought to come from Devon, notably the area around Ilfracombe. The cream was packed in small glazed pots for export to other parts of the country. Although the presumption is that clotted cream comes from Devon, it is equally known and long-established in Cornwall. The Devon connection probably took first place simply because it was the larger county, with wider connections to the country at large.
Once clotted, it was claimed the crust was sometimes solid enough to support a pound weight without breaking. Clotted cream has been used in the cookery of its region of origin (in breads, cakes, pastries, with fish, or as other regions might use cream); it is more generally thought of as a delicacy in its own right.
Clotting cream was also a very good way to turn milk into a flavourous butter. The heat-treatment required to make scalded cream and transforming the result into butter are 2 consecutive steps in preserving and adding value to a local raw material. ‘This cream was stirred by hand, the maid putting her arm into the pot and stirring it until the butter came. In hot weather when the hand was too warm, a bottle was sometimes used’ (Fussell, 1966). The existence of this butter was acknowledged by the author of the General View of the Agriculture of the County of Devon (1813) and, a century later, White (1932) writes about a Devonshire farmer’s wife demonstrating making butter by beating clotted cream with her hand. There is a view current that this form of butter-making is now more known in Cornwall than Devon. Small amounts are still produced in the West Country for local consumption. No other region of Britain has developed clotted cream, or butter made from it, as a speciality. Awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
TECHNIQUE:
Clotted cream requires long slow heating at a moderate temperature. The craft method is as follows: both unpasteurized and pasteurized milk are used. Traditionalists prefer the excellent flavour of unpasteurized milk from Channel Island cattle which has a high butterfat content. The cream is separated from the milk and kept overnight; it may be ripened if desired. The cream, contained in enamel pans, is placed in a bain-marie and heated gently for about 2 hours. This process is crucial; the time and temperature must be correct; only experience will teach the right combination. The temperature of the bain-marie is maintained at below boiling, about 82°C. Once the correct golden, honeycomb crust has formed, the pans are removed from the heat. Industrial methods work on the same principle, but heating takes place either in an oven or in steam cabinets.
Before the advent of milk separators, cream would be clotted on the whole milk. First, the cream would be allowed to rise naturally on the pan of milk saved from one of the day’s milkings. If the morning milk, it would be left until late in the afternoon; if the evening’s, then left overnight. The pan was placed carefully over the fire and it was scalded, as described above. In small farmhouses, the pan would be placed over the kitchen hearth; in larger households, the dairy might have a special stove constructed from a stone slab pierced with holes big enough to accommodate the pans safely. A charcoal brazier could be placed beneath each pan. These pans were of brass or of earthenware. Once the cream was scalded and had clotted, it was skimmed off the milk and stored in flat dishes. Brears (1998) provides illustrations.
Clotted-cream butter is made on a small scale by craft producers. Instead of stirring the cream by hand, as was done in the past, an electric whisk is now used. The cream is whipped until crumbly and worked by hand to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. It is washed in cold water, then beaten with a boiled cloth on a wooden platter. It is pressed by hand into a mould to make round pats.
