I found this cheese and make procedure here
http://www.ukprotectedfoods.com/staffordshire-cheese-pdo/ and made two of them last year around this time. I vac.bagged the first one I made and let the 2nd form a natural rind. The two cheeses were quite different in result, texture wise, and can be expected. The vac. sealed one was very moist and creamy (see here
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9852.0.html), quite a soft cheese (but not like brie soft) while the natural rind firmed up and was sharper in taste (see here
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,9889.0.html). You wouldn't have placed them as the same cheese at all. Anyway, it's a very straightforward make procedure. While it can, apparently, go to market in as little as 2 weeks (mild is 2 to 4 weeks), the one I tried that young (the vac. bagged one) was too mild and quite bland. Now, I didn't have the cultures they mentioned and just used buttermilk for that make, so this is not definitive and if you have access to strains of lactococcus lactis subsp.cremoris, lactocuccus lactis subsp. Lactis and lactocuccus lactis subsp. Diocetylactis, that's what is officially used.
Anyway, will update the notes when the cheese is in the press and will add photos when it's out.
Staffordshire Sunday, July 21, 2013. Sunny. Air pressure:1012 18 C 71% humidity from (
http://www.ukprotectedfoods.com/staffordshire-cheese-pdo/)
11 L whole milk (Budget Blue TOP; 3.2g protein/100ml 3.3g fat)
300 ml cream (Pams; 2g protein/38g fat for 100 ml) (total = 4.22g and 3.07g/pro / 100ml; 0.75:1 p:f ratio in total combination)
Starter 1 cube mw3 * 1 cube buttermilk
7.15 ml Renco rennet (65 IMCU)
2.5% salt by curd weight
½ tsp 50% solution CaCl2
6.26” tomme mould
1) Add CaCl2 to milk during prep.
2) Add starter
3) Warm to 32.5 – 35 C (34.0 C 7:32 am)
4) Ripen 60-75 minutes (7:32 - 8:3?; ??.? C at end)
5) Ensure temperature between 31 and 33 C, if not warm to midrange)
6) Add rennet (7.15 ml Renco) (8:40:00 temp 33.5 C)
7) Floc time 8:51:30 = 11m 30sec 3.0 x floc = 34m 30sec cut time 9:14:30 (floc may have been quite a bit sooner as I was distracted. Went with 3x floc rather than 3.5
(NOTE: in original info, rennet to cut is described as 45-50 minutes in one place, but in same document as 35-45 minutes, so multipliers anywhere between 3.0 and 3.5 look good)
8) Cut curds (size not specified so I go with 1 cm cubes); heal 15 min (9:22-9:37)
9) Keep temp at 30-32 C and stir for 40 minutes (9:37-10:17; 31.5 C)
10) Allow curds to settle 30 minutes (10:17-10:47)
11) Remove whey (whey off requires 35 minutes in large batch, so settle for 30 min above; done 11:04; placed 3 litres of whey on top of “sacked” curds to help expel whey)
12) Break curds every 15 minutes over 45 minute period (11:19 & 11:34 & 11:49)
13) Mill to thumbnail size and add salt (2.5% by curd weight curds - 1972g x 0.025 – 49.3g; my notes for my first make indicated it was a bit salty, but my 2nd make didn’t mention this – which means it was fine. I’ll go with 2.5 again for the rubber)
14) Mix salt by turning curds 4 times (more will dry out curds too much)
15) Move to cloth lined mould, press at 2 PSI over night at 21-25 C) (10 kg = 0.72 PSI for 30 min 12:12-12:42 , then flip/redress and 20 kg 30 minutes 12:49-1:20, and then flip/redress and 30 kg = 2.15 PSI 1:20 – 1:40 (forgot to flip last weight change, so flipped at 1:40) 1:40 pm - 6:00 am.)
16) Cheese out of the press 1686g 15.6 x 7.7 cm = 1471 cm3 = 1.15g/cm3
17) Age at 7-10 C, turn daily for a week, then weekly
18) Age 2-4 weeks (mild) or up to a year. (I like it aged a few months. My previous make was really good at 4 months; I found a vac. Bagged version a bit bland when young, but improved when aged to 4 months. Vac bagged version much moister and milder flavoured, the two cheeses were very different final results due to the difference in aging technique. A brine wash to get a schmier might work well. )
Got 424 g ricotta (raised to 93 C, added just shy of ¼ cup cider vinegar, waited 20 minutes or so). Added 6g salt.
Friday, Sept 20, 2013: Cut day. Have brushed off the linens over this past week. Cheese now 1398g, 14.8 x 6.7 cm, = 1152 cm3; 1.21 g/cm3. Cheese nice and moist. Nice mild, but tasty, flavor. A good outcome and would make again.