West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers

Once the coagulum has set sufficiently for a "clean break" it is cut with curd knives. As the knife is drawn through it, the whey separates from the curds. The cutting continues until the pieces of curd are about 1.5 cm across. The curds and whey are then gently stirred and warmed slowly up to about 40 degrees Centigrade. When the cheesemaker considers the time is right, the mixture of curds and whey are drained down onto the cooling tray, where the whey is separated out and the curds are allowed to settle and combine together to form a thick rubbery layer which is about 25 cm thick.

Cheesemaking can begin once the curd has a ‘clean break’ and is fully separated from the liquid whey. At this point the whey is drained off and the resulting curd is transferred to long shallow cooling trays to settle.