As this is the busy Month in the Dairy, I shall here insert the Remarks I
have by me concerning the making of Cheeses; and in this Work it is first
necessary to know how to manage the Rennet. The Rennet is made of the
Calves Bag, which is taken as soon as the Calf is kill'd, and scour'd
inside and outside with Salt, after having first discharg'd it of the Curd,
which is always found in it; this Curd must likewise be well wash'd in a
Cullender with Water, and the Hairs pick'd out of it till it becomes very
white, then return the Curd again into the Bag, and add to it two good
Handfuls of Salt, and shut the Mouth of the Bag close with a Skewer, then
lay the Bag in an Earthen-Pan, and cover it close, and keep it in a dry
place; this will remain fit for use twelve Months. When you would use it,
boil a Quart of Water, after you have salted it, so as to bear an Egg, and
letting it stand to be quite cold, pour it into the Bag, and prick the Bag
full of very small Holes, and lay it in a clean Pan for use. While this
Rennet is fresh, a Spoonful of the Liquor will turn or set about sixteen or
twenty Gallons of Milk; but as it is longer kept, it grows weaker, and must
be used in greater quantity: this Rennet will last good about a Month. This
is the _Essex_ and _Hertfordshire_ way.
Another way of preparing of Rennet Bags, is to take the Calves Bag, and
wash and scour it with Salt, and the Curd likewise, as directed above; and
then salting it very well, hang it up in the Corner of a Kitchen Chimney,
and dry it; and as soon as you want to use it, boil Water and Salt, as
before, and fill the Bag with it, making small Holes in the Bag, as before
directed, and keeping it in a clean Pan.
It is to be noted, that the Bag of the Calf, which is the part that
receives the Milk, is so disposed, as to change the Milk into Curd, as soon
as it is received into it; and the Curd, which is found in it, partaking of
that quality of the Bag, which disposes it to harden the Milk; these are
therefore to be preserv'd for the same use, when we employ common Milk to
be made into Curd: but as the Calves Bag is warm, when it naturally
receives the Milk from the Cow, and it then curdles in it; so, when we want
to set or turn Milk, for Cheese or other use, we must have the Milk warm as
one may guess the Body of the Calf was, and the Milk was likewise, when the
Calf receiv'd it from the Cow. There is great danger if the Milk be too hot
when the Rennet is put to it, for then it sets or turns to Curd very quick,
and the Cheese will be hard; but it is good to let the Milk be of such a
warmth as not to come too soon, as it is called in the Dairies, but to have
it of such a warmth, as to let the Curd set easily, and come moderately,
for the quicker the Curd comes, the harder it is, and the harder the Curd
is, the harder is the Cheese. Again, we must have some regard to the
Pasture where our Cows feed; those that feed in rank Grass have more watery
parts in their Milk than those Cows which feed on short Grass: and
sometimes, as I have observed before, in my other Works, the Cows feed upon
Crow Garlick, or the Alliaria, or Sauce alone, or Jack in the Hedge, or
Goose-grass, or Clivers, or Rennet Wort, and their Milk will either be ill
tasted, or else turn or curd of itself, altho' the Cow has had a due time
after Calving; and if the Goose-grass or Clivers happen to be the occasion
of the turning of the Milk, then a less quantity of Rennet should be used:
for the only use of Rennet is to fix the Milk, and turn it to Curd, and if
already there is near an equivalent for Rennet in the Milk, by the Cow's
eating such Herbs, then a little of it will do. But as I have observ'd
above, where Cattle feed upon long rank Grass, the Milk is watery, and does
not contain two thirds of the Cream, or Richness that there is in the same
quantity of Milk from Cows fed upon short fine Grass: So that if one was to
make Cheese, one would chuse the Milk of Cows that fed upon the purest fine
Grass. Here the Milk would be rich, and if the Rennet is good and well
proportion'd, the Cheese will be so too. It is to be observ'd likewise,
that when Cows feed upon such Weeds as I have mention'd, I mean the
Clivers, which turn their Milk, the Curd is always hard and scatter'd, and
never comes into a Body, as the pure Milk will do that is set with Rennet,
and consequently the Cheese will be hard. There is one thing likewise to be
taken notice of, with regard to the Rennet, that as the Bag, of which it is
made, happens to be good, so is the Rennet good in proportion. I mean the
Bag is good when the Milk of the Cow, that suckled the Calf, is good; for
the goodness of the Feed of the Cow does not only dispose the Body of the
Calf to produce a gentleness or softness in the Acid, which promotes the
curdling of the Milk, when it is received into the Body of the Calf, but
makes the Rennet more tender to the setting of the Cheese-Curd, and so the
Cheese will consequently be the better for it: And I judge that one reason
why the _Suffolk_ Cheese is so much noted for its hardness, is on account
of the badness of the Rennet, tho' it is certain, that the worst Cheeses of
that Country are made of Skim-Milk; however, the nature of the Milk is
such, according to my Observation, that it makes very rich Butter, but the
Cream rises on it so quickly, and so substantially, that it leaves no
fatness or richness in the other part, which we call the Skim-Milk, but
that remains little better than Water: so that 'tis no wonder in this case,
and thro' the rank Feed of the Cows, that the Cheeses of those parts are
not good. I think however the Cheese of _Suffolk_ might be help'd in a good
measure, if the Farmers there were to have their Rennet Bags from places
where the Grass was short and fine; for I guess then, from the above
reasoning, that the Curd would be of a more tender nature, or not of so
binding a quality as it now is, and the Cheese consequently would be the
better. But besides the goodness of the Milk and the Rennet, if a Cheese is
over press'd, it will be hard and unpleasant; but it is to be remark'd,
that all Cheeses that are hard press'd will keep longer than those that are
gently press'd, and bear transporting thro' the hottest Climates, which the
more tender-made Cheeses will not without corrupting, unless they are put
into Oil. There is one thing which I may observe particularly, relating to
the Rennet Bag; which is, that the Calf should suck it full about an hour
before it is kill'd, that there may be more and fresher Curd in it; tho' in
the killing of Calves it is a Rule to let the Calf fast some time before
killing, which we are told contributes to the Whiteness of the Flesh.
Again, it would be an advantage in the making of Cheese to have your Cattle
all of one sort, and to feed all upon the same sort of Pasture; for when it
happens to be otherwise, the Cheeses are apt to decay, from the different
Tempers of the Milk; but let our Milk be what it will, be careful of the
former Method prescribed, _i.e._ to break the Curd by gentle degrees, and
as equally as possible every where: the little pains extraordinary will be
paid in the goodness of the Cheese, for then it will not be full of Eyes or
Hollows, and will sell the better.
But besides the way of preparing the Rennet, as I have here set down, it is
practised to make an artificial Rennet, which will do very well for making
of Cheese; and that is, to boil the Cliver, or as some call it Goose-grass,
or others Rennet-Wort, in Water, and you may add some Tops of Sweet Bryar;
about a Spoonful of which Decoction, or boiled Liquor, will turn a
Pail-full of Milk, of about five Gallons, without any other help; but in
the Preparation of this, as well as the other, for the Improvement of the
Cheeses, in giving them rich Flavours, it is adviseable to insert, while we
are boiling the Waters for them, either some of such Sweet Herbs as we
like, or such Spices as we most covet the taste of. As for the famous
_Stilton_ Cheese, which I have already published the Receipt of, we are to
make the Rennet strong of Mace, by boiling the Mace in the Salt and Water,
for without that is done, the Cheese will not have the true Relish that the
first famous _Stilton_ Cheeses had; and without the People of _Stilton_
keep up the antient way of making it, agreeable to the old Receipt, they
must of necessity lose the Reputation they have gain'd by their Cheeses. I
shall not pretend to affirm why the Cheeses now in that Town are not
generally so good as they were formerly; but perhaps it is because some of
the Cheese-Sellers there depend upon the reputation of the first Cheeses,
and now buy Cheeses from other parts, where nothing of the true Receipt is
known but the Figure. However, it would be injustice in me if I did not
take notice, that the Master of the _Blue-Bell Inn_ in _Stilton_ provided
me with one that was excellent in its way, and yearly furnishes as many
Customers with them as give him timely Notice: But as these Cheeses require
time in the Dairy, before they are fit for eating, and the Season of making
them is in the Bloom of the Year, so it is necessary to speak for them
betimes, to have them to one's mind. I shall not give the Receipt of it at
this time, as it has already fallen into a good number of hands with my
former Pieces, and has been thought good enough to have been copied from
me, with many other Articles, and published by Mr. _Lawrence._ I shall
proceed therefore to give the Receipts for making of some other kinds of
Cheeses, which yet have not appear'd in the World, which I have collected
from some of the best Dairies in _England._ The following is the famous
_Buckingham_ Cheese, which I had from Mr. _Foord,_ a very curious Gentleman
of that place.
To make _Buckingham_ Cheese. From Mr. _Foord_ of that Place.
Prepare a Cheese Vat or Cheese Mote of a square Figure, six Inches over,
and nine Inches deep, full of small Holes for the convenience of letting
out the Whey when the Curd is put into it: Then take the Night's Cream, and
mix it with the Morning's Milk, and put the Rennet to it to cool. When the
Curd is come, take it gently from the Whey, and fill the Cheese Vat with
it, and lay a Board up on the Curd, and as that sinks, fill up the Cheese
Vat with fresh Curds; this should be done once every Hour till Night. The
next Day turn your Cheese upside down, and continue turning it every Night
and Morning till it shrinks from the Vat or Cheese Mote, and is stiff
enough to take out without breaking, and then lay it upon the Shelf to be
turn'd, and shift it Night and Morning till 'tis dry for use. This Mr.
_Foord_ tells me is the best sort of Cheese he has met with in _England._
The following I have experienced to be an extraordinary Cheese; in some
places 'tis call'd the Golden Cheese, and in others the Marygold Cheese,
which it is properly. The Juice of the Marygolds adds a very great richness
to the Milk, and contributes almost as much to it as Cream would do. The
following is the Receipt to make it.
To make Marygold Cheese.
Gather your Marygold Flowers in a dry Day, and pick the golden-colour'd
Leaves from them, (these we call the Petals of the Flowers:) As soon as you
have pick'd a sufficient quantity of these Leaves for your use, bruise them
in a Mortar, or grind them, if you have Conveniency, and strain out the
Juice; this Juice, when you put the Rennet to the Milk, must be put into
the Milk, and stirr'd into it. The Milk must then be set, and as soon as
the Curd is come, break it gently, and as equally as possible, and put it
into the Cheese Vat, and press it with a gentle Weight, letting the bottom
part of the Vat have such a number of Holes in it, as will let out the Whey
easily, or else a Spout to carry off the Whey; but the Holes are much
better than the Spout. This Cheese, which is made in a Cloth, must be used
like other Cheeses made after that manner.
As for the making of Sage-Cheese, the following is the best way that I have
met with, and therefore I think the Receipt may be useful to the Publick.
To make a plain Sage-Cheese.
Gather the young Tops of red Sage, and bruise them in a Mortar till you can
press the Juice from them; then take Leaves of Spinach or Spinage, and
bruise them likewise, and press out the Juice to mix with the Sage Juice;
for the Sage Juice of it self is not of a pleasant green Colour, and the
Spinach Juice is added to it to render it more bright to the Sight; it also
serves to take off the bitterness of the Sage. When this Juice is prepared,
put your Rennet to the Milk, and, at the same time, mix as much of your
Sage and Spinach Juice with it, as will give the Milk the green Colour you
desire. If you would have it strong of the Sage, you must have the greater
share of Sage Juice; or weaker of the Sage, the greater share of Spinach
Juice. When the Curd is come, break the Curd gently, and when it is all
equally broken, put it into the Vat or Cheese Mote, and press it gently:
remember that the equal and due breaking of the Curd will keep your Cheese
from having Hollows or Eyes in it, and the gentle pressing of Cheese will
make it eat tender and mellow. This, as well as the Marygold Cheese, must
be salted, when it has been press'd about eight Hours.
To make Sage-Cheese in Figures.
Those that are willing to have figur'd Cheeses, such Cheeses as are partly
green and partly otherwise, must take the following method. Provide two
Cheese Vats of the same bigness, and set your Milk in two different
Vessels; one part with plain Rennet only, and the other with Rennet and
Sage Juice, as directed in the above Receipt; make these as you would do
two distinct Cheeses, and put them into the Presses at the same time. When
each of these Cheeses has been prest half an hour, take them out and cut
some square Pieces, or long Slips, quite out of the plain Cheese, and lay
them by upon a Plate; then cut as many Pieces out of the Sage Cheese, of
the same Size and Figure of those that were cut out of the plain Cheese,
and presently put the pieces of the Sage Cheese into the holes that were
cut in the plain Cheese, and the pieces cutout of the plain Cheese into the
holes of the Sage Cheese, contriving to make them fit exactly: for this use
some have Tin Plate, made into Figures of several Shapes, with which they
cut out the pieces of their Cheeses so exactly, that they fit without
trouble. When this is done, return them to the Presses, and treat them like
common Cheeses, so will you have one Cheese Sage, with white or plain
Figures in it, and the other a white Cheese, with green Figures in it. In
the making of these Cheeses you must particularly observe to break your
Curd very equally, and press both your Cheeses as equally as possible
before you cut out the Figures; for else when they come to be press'd for
the last time, your Figures will press unequally and lose their Shapes.
When these Cheeses are made, they must be frequently turn'd and shifted on
the Shelf, and often rubb'd with a coarse Cloath. These Cheeses may be made
about two Inches thick, for if they are thicker, it will be more difficult
to make the Figures regular; these will be fit to eat in about eight
Months.
To make Cheese in imitation of _Cheshire_ Cheese.
When your Milk is set, and the Curd is come, it must not be broken with a
Dish, as is usual in the making of other Cheeses, but drawn together by the
Hands to one side of the Vessel, gently and regularly broken; for if it is
roughly press'd, a great deal of the richness of the Milk will go into the
Whey. As you thus gather your Curd, put it into the Vat or Cheese Mote till
it is full, then press it and turn it often, salting it at several times.
It is to be noted, that the Cheeses should be six or eight Inches thick,
and will be fit to eat in a Year; they must be frequently turn'd and
shifted upon the Shelf, and rubb'd often with a dry coarse Cloath, and at
the Year's end may have a hole bored in the middle, so as to contain a
quarter Pint of Sack, which must be pour'd into it, and then the hole
stopp'd close with some of the same Cheese, and the Cheese set in a Wine
Cellar for six Months to mellow; at the end of which time, the Sack will be
all lost, and the hole will be in a manner clos'd up.