Maturing Cheddar
The team at Lincolnshire Poacher decided to take two Quicke’s truckles. The first they have left in exactly the same condition as it arrived. They then stripped the second truckle of its cloth bandages and coated in it ‘platiscoat’ which is the material they use to mature their Lincolnshire Poacher.
The process for producing and maturing cheddar at Lincolnshire Poacher differs in many ways from that of Quicke’s. From the temperature of the make, stacking of the curd, different salt, and the use of plasicote, a food grade PVA glue that inhibits moulding. So for cheesemaker Tim Jones this makes for a great experiment and he is looking forward to seeing the effects his maturation and Micro flora in his store will have on the Quicke’s cheese.
Cheese maturation rooms & micro flora
Taking two cheeses has given him a great point of reference to see how the micro flora from his maturation rooms will have an effect on the original clothbound cheese and how that transfers into rind development and then flavour. Stripping the cloth from the 2nd cheese and using his plasticote method Tim will see how that will effect the moisture content. Currently the moisture retention is higher on the clothbound with the plasticote losing twice as much but Tim feels this will level out over time.
Comparing two maturing cheddars
In the picture above the cheese on the top left is the original Quicke’s cloth bound one and it is showing some lovely types of moulds we wouldn’t usually see in the Quicke’s Cathedral and the one on the right is in the plasicote and is showing more yellow and white moulds.
The aroma’s are completely different to that of Quicke’s. In Tim’s store along with the addition of the mechanised cheese turning and less cheese mites he will have great control over potential blueing, he is looking to keep the cheese intact and not iron it till the day of the competition.
As I peered through the cheese turners glass panel up at the beautiful timber stacks of cheese I picture this must be what it looks like for a cheese lover as they walk through the Pearly Gates, this is shaping up to be an excellent addition to the Affineur of the Year.
