Cheshire — home recipe

Cheshire — home recipe adapted to a 10 L batch. 10 L milk. Shared calculations and pH notes.

Milk: 10 L milk
Make: about 1–2 days
Salt at: before moulding
Affinage: 5–10 weeks, 13–16 °C

Ingredients

Whole milkPasteurised, not UHT: 10 L
Calcium chlorideSource solution concentration unspecified; verify label: 3.30 mL
MA 11 mesophilic cultureOr 0.660 C 101 source-packet equivalents: 0.330 tsp
AnnattoDilute; optional colour: 6.60 mL
Liquid animal rennet, 200 IMCU/mLSource liquid strength unspecified; single-strength 200 IMCU/mL assumed: 3.30 mL
Cheese salt34.7 mL by volume: 2.31 tbsp

Stage	Time	°C	pH	Do	Notes
Milk
Pasteurise				Skip for this cheese	Use already-pasteurised milk; this heating stage is skipped.
Culture	2–5 min	30	≈6.6predicted, milk	Add diluted calcium chloride; sprinkle culture, rehydrate 2 min and stir gently.
Ripen	45 min	30	≈6.5predicted, milk	Cover and ripen, maintaining temperature.
Rennet	60 min or clean break	30	≈6.3predicted, curd	Dilute rennet just before use; stir up/down 30 s, still milk and cover.
Curd
Cut and rest	5 min rest	30	≈6.3predicted, curd	Cut to 13–19 mm cubes; allow cut faces to heal without stirring.
Scald	60 min	31	≈6.0predicted, curd	Raise gently from 30 to 32 °C, stirring intermittently.
Pitch	30 min	32	≈5.8predicted, curd	Allow curds to settle in the whey.
Stir				Skip for this cheese
Shape
Drain and form	15 min + 3 h	32	≈5.2predicted, curd	Ladle into muslin; apply light weight 15 min, break into 75–100 mm blocks and drain warm 3 h.	Source 4.5 kg pre-weight for 1.81 kg cheese ≈2.5× wheel weight; turn q 10 min in hour 1, every 30 min thereafter.
Mill	5 min	27	≈5.2predicted, curd	Break to 13–19 mm pieces.
Salt	10 h mellow	25.5	≈5.1predicted, curd	Mix in salt, pack into moulds, and drain unweighted at 24–27 °C, turning occasionally.
Press	48 h / closure	22	≈5.1predicted, curd	Press progressively: 3.75× wheel weight 2 h; 8.75× 4 h; 15× 6 h; 25× 12 h; 37.5× 24 h. Turn and redress at every increase.	Multiples derive from stated 1.81 kg source yield; adjust actual load for mould geometry.
Cave
Affinage	5–10 weeks	14.5	≈5.1make-end baseline; recheck during aging	Dry until matte; oil, wax or bandage, then mature.	Source range 13–16 °C; ready mild from 5–6 weeks.

Source and cheese-specific notes

British Territorials Recipes.txt — Cheshire — home recipe

The source culture sentence is truncated; the listed MA 11 option supplies the missing inoculation instruction. US gallons assumed (3.7854 L); 5 mL teaspoon and 15 mL tablespoon used.

≈ marks an illustrative prediction. Source targets and recorded readings are labelled separately; recorded readings are historical context, not targets for a new batch. Use a calibrated meter and the correct sample medium. Read the shared method and assumptions.