I've made three farmhouse cheddars so far, and each of them I've bandaged with cheesecloth and lard. Each of them have developed mould under the bandage, after two to three weeks. I'm not unduly worried about this (but please tell me if I should be), but would like to work out why, as I thought bandaging would have prevented it, due to lack of oxygen.
Am I right to be using a single layer of cheese cloth, and lard at room temperature? Could it be that I'm not using enough lard? Some articles I have read suggest heating the lard, which I have not tried. I have also read about bandaging and then repressing, to ensure good contact between bandage and cheese, but if I leave the cheese to dry out for a few days before bandaging, it will no longer fit in the mould, due to slumping slightly. How else do you ensure good contact between cheese and bandage with no air pockets?
Any thoughts/suggestions welcome.