A Cheese lover??s delight
Cheese making in Cheddar
A Cheddar legend suggests that cheese was discovered accidentally when a village milkmaid left a pail of milk in the Cheddar Gorge caves. When the milkmaid returned, she found that the milk had turned into a new tasty substance?? the first Cheddar cheese!
To this day, cheese making still goes on at Cheddar, as you can see for yourself if you visit the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. In the company??s factory, the whole cheese-making process can be viewed. You can listen to a Cheese-maker telling you about how everything works and you can ask any cheesy questions you may have.
Who's milk?!
Cheese can be made from the milk of a variety of different animals, including goats, sheep, buffalo, reindeer, camel, llama, and yak but it is usually made from cow??s milk. In the process of cheese-making, bacteria and enzymes cause most of the protein, fat and some vitamins and minerals to be concentrated and separated into a solid, the cheese. A watery liquid remains which is called the 'whey'.
Green, green, grass
The rich pastures of the Somerset levels provide an ideal grazing ground for cows. The milk they produce is used in Cheddar to make the delicious cheese the place is famous for.
Pictures courtesy of the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company
Submitted by: Catherine Thomas, 18 August 2003
