So I have eaten the Gouda...and it tasted....like a young Gouda !!!
The second one I made I lost however..but I think I know what went wrong
I mucked up when I was washing the curds so they weren't cooked as much and then so the results were much softer...then I pressed them in the same way as I would have done had I not mucked up so the cheese was softer....end result it seemed to dry OK but them half way through the 25 days it collapsed and BLURGH!
The cheddar...well now that's a different thing altogether..it's looking good and I was going to cut it in May...note I
was going to but.....I already have
...it tastes like a young cheddar ...YAY!!
I am going to make some more in the next couple of days - this time I am going to try and let it dry for a day less as I think it's a little dry in texture maybe
They are in wax...does this stop them drying out as they mature or do I need to up the humidity....bearing in mind I am not using the technicalities of some of the cheesemakers here...my cheese cave is a chilly bin with an ice cream cartons to provide the chill and humidity (VERY basic!!!)